McKinney, TX Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

Frost leaves McKinney on March 17 and comes back on November 15 when the odds are even, a window of 241 days for tender plants.

Dates at even odds leave half of all years unprotected. The safer pair for McKinney is April 5 in spring, which only one year in ten passes, and October 27 in fall, which one year in ten arrives before. The 100 cities covered here have a median season of 229 days, and McKinney is close to it.

These dates come from the NOAA weather station McKinney Municipal Airport (ID USC00415766), 4.3 miles east of the Census Bureau's internal point for McKinney, at about 590 feet above sea level.

When is the last frost in McKinney?

One year in ten has a freeze on or after April 5. In nine years out of ten there is still a freeze on or after February 27, and half of years see one on or after March 17.

From the earliest date to the latest is 37 days, a middling band against the other 100 cities.

When is the first frost in McKinney?

A first freeze on or before October 27 happens one fall in ten. By November 15 half of years have had one, and by December 5 nine years in ten have.

From the 10% date to the 90% date is 39 days, a wide band here, and the early date arrives 19 days before the typical one.

The growing season in McKinney

Neither long nor short next to the other cities here. Season length swings more here than in most of the 100 cities: 241 days in a typical year, 213 days in a short one, a difference of 28 days.

These figures are NOAA's own counts of freeze-free days across its simulated years, which is why they can differ a little from the days between the two typical dates. At McKinney Municipal Airport a night at or below 32°F turns up in 100% of years, which means these dates apply every winter.

When a hard freeze reaches McKinney

Light frost and hard freeze are well separated in McKinney. In fall the typical 28°F night comes on November 30, 15 days after the first 32°F frost on November 15; in spring the last one comes on March 4, 13 days before the last 32°F frost. Crops that tolerate light frost have that stretch to themselves. The late 28°F spring date, March 24, is the one that still catches blooms and young transplants one year in ten, and the early fall date, November 6, is when a hard freeze has arrived in one fall out of ten.

What this means for planting in McKinney

Counting from March 17, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on February 17 and lettuce from February 17 to February 24, ahead of the last frost, and holds peppers until March 31 and beans until March 17 or later. Peas are the exception to the count: University of New Hampshire Extension says to plant them as soon as the soil thaws, whatever the frost date.

Counting from the late date, April 5, instead of the typical one delays every after-frost crop by 19 days. That is the price of a one-in-ten spring that most years will not need.

Fall crops are counted back from the first frost, using NC State Extension's days to harvest plus University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days. In McKinney only 32 of the 34 crops in the fall planner have a last planting day in July or later, and the other 2 would have to go in before then, in spring or early summer. The slowest crop that still fits is collard greens, which needs 118 days before the early first frost and so must be in by July 1.

Worked example: fall broccoli in McKinney

Take fall broccoli in McKinney. NC State Extension lists up to 80 days from transplant to harvest, and University of Georgia Extension adds a harvest allowance of 18 days, so the plants need 98 days before the first frost. Counting back from the typical first frost, November 15, the last planting day is August 9. Counting back from the early date, October 27, it is July 21.

19 days separate the two last days, enough that in McKinney the earlier one is worth following.

In spring the same family goes in earlier: counting from March 17, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on February 17, weeks ahead of the last frost.

About the McKinney Municipal Airport station

The station is 4.3 miles east of the Census Bureau's internal point for McKinney, near enough to be the city's reference record, though not in the same yard.

Its elevation is about 590 feet. Of the 100 stations behind these pages, 57 sit higher and 42 lower. Its completeness flag is R, which NOAA uses for a representative record.

Because the Census file has no elevation for McKinney, we cannot say how far your yard is above or below this station. When yours is clearly higher or lower, open the nearby stations in the frost dates tool and favor the colder one.

Nearby cities and their frost dates

McKinney sits in a cluster: Plano, TX is only 11 miles away, and the other two cities below are not much farther, so gaps in their dates come from local setting.

• Plano, TX (11 miles, south-west): spring frost ends 10 days sooner than in McKinney, and the season runs 18 days longer. Its typical dates are March 7 and November 21, with 259 days frost-free.
• Dallas, TX, 29 miles to the south: last frost March 2, first frost November 29, 272 days frost-free; the last frost is 15 days earlier than in McKinney, and it has 31 days more without frost.
• Irving, TX (30 miles, south-west): its last frost comes 9 days before McKinney's, and it has 21 days more without frost. Its typical dates are March 8 and November 24, with 262 days frost-free.

Put the frost dates to work

Start with the spring planting planner for the whole crop list counted from these dates, and the fall planting planner for the last planting days. The frost dates tool shows every level of risk at this station, and the hardiness zone lookup covers winter survival for shrubs and perennials.

Looking for another city? The city frost dates index lists every page, grouped by state.

For Texas, the state planting pages copy the Extension calendar (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) crop by crop and region by region: tomatoes in Texas, peppers in Texas, cucumbers in Texas, summer squash in Texas, green beans in Texas. Set those windows beside the frost dates above.

Where these numbers come from

Every frost and freeze date comes from the station's entry in NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), with no adjustment, and NOAA's documentation explains what each probability means. McKinney and its internal point are listed in the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer of places; its place in the ranking comes from the Vintage 2024 population estimates, which count 227,526 residents.

The planting dates apply the count rules in University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension to this station's dates, with nothing added. The methodology page explains how each figure is checked.

Frost dates are long-term odds, not a forecast. Before you plant, check the local forecast for the coming week, and keep row cover or old sheets handy for the nights the odds get wrong.