Fresno, California Frost Dates, Growing Season & Hardiness Zone

When is the last frost in Fresno?

Some winters here pass without a single 32°F night: NOAA's yearly chance at Fresno Yosemite International Airport is 85.4%. The dates on this page cover only the years that do freeze, which is how NOAA computes them (conditional probabilities).

Counting only years with a freeze, half are past their last 32°F night by Jan 14, and 1 in 10 has one after Feb 11. NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 36°F night (frost possible on plants) at 99.9%, with the last one typically around Feb 15. The yearly chance of a 28°F hard freeze is 32.8%.

Fresno has a long late-frost tail: 28 days separate the typical date (Jan 14) from the safer 1-in-10 date (Feb 11). If tender plants go out early, be ready to protect them on cold nights.

In years with a freeze, the typical last 32°F night comes around Jan 14, and the typical last 36°F night (frost possible on plants in low spots) around Feb 15, 32 days later. On clear, calm nights, frost can form on leaves even when the thermometer reads above freezing.

Our station has the earliest typical last frost of the 5 eligible stations near Fresno. If your yard runs cool, lean toward the safer Feb 11 date.

Is it too early to plant in Fresno?

Before Jan 14 the odds of another 32°F night are better than even; after Feb 11 they are about 1 in 10 or less.

Today's risk is computed in your browser from the same NOAA probability table, shown as the range between the two nearest NOAA probability levels.

When is the first frost in Fresno?

In the years that freeze, half have their first 32°F night by Dec 14, and 1 in 10 of them has one as early as Nov 29. The first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Dec 1. A 28°F hard freeze comes in 32.8% of years.

To time a fall crop, count back from the typical first frost (Dec 14) or the safer Nov 29. The planting calendar works it out crop by crop.

How long is Fresno's growing season?

A typical year in Fresno has 337 days between the last spring and first fall 32°F nights. In about 1 year in 10, there are fewer than 305 days.

With a season this long, you can grow many crops twice: once in spring and again for fall.

Each year the station logs an average of 5,768 growing degree days (base 50°F), a measure of the heat available for crop growth.

How does Fresno's season compare?

Of the 3 California cities with frost dates on this site, Fresno has a typical frost-free season of 337 days, which is the shortest.

Nationwide, across the 56 cities with frost dates on this site, the typical frost-free season here outlasts the one in 52 of them and falls short of the one in 3.

Growing degree days (base 50°F)

Annual normal: 5,768 GDD (NOAA flag S, 30 years). Running total by the end of each month (sum of NOAA daily GDD normals, so the year-end total can differ slightly from the annual normal):

What growing zone is Fresno? (USDA 2023)

On the 2023 USDA map, Fresno is zone 9b (25 to 30°F average coldest winter night). That's no change from the 2012 map.

Zones: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed 2026-10-08. Shown as published in the ZIP tables; this page does not show a zone map. Not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (official map: planthardiness.ars.usda.gov).

Does the new zone change Fresno's frost dates?

No. A hardiness zone reflects only the average coldest winter temperature, not the timing of spring or fall frost. Fresno's frost dates come from NOAA's 1991–2020 frost probabilities, and the 2023 zone map didn't change them. Pick perennials that survive winter by zone; time your planting by frost dates.

Why do Fresno frost dates differ between websites?

You may see Jan 29 given as the last frost date for Fresno. That's the 30%-risk date: in years with a freeze, about 3 in 10 have a 32°F night after it. We lead with Jan 14, the 50% (median) date.

We call Feb 11 the 'safer' date. It's the 10%-risk date: in about 1 in 10 years with a freeze, a 32°F night still comes after it.

You may also see Feb 15. That's the 50% date for a 36°F night (frost possible on plants) rather than a 32°F freeze, so sites using 36°F as their cutoff list later dates.

Station choice is another reason dates differ. Our 5 qualifying stations within 25 miles of the city center range from Jan 14 to Mar 9 for the typical (50%) last 32°F frost (table below).

Which weather station is this based on?

Station

Fresno Yosemite International Airport (NOAA USW00093193, WBAN/ASOS-AWOS)

Distance

4.1 mi E of the city center

Elevation

333 ft; city center 311 ft (USGS), difference +22 ft

Record

NOAA completeness flag S, 30 of 30 years (1991–2020)

Confidence

High (rule)

Confidence: High. The station is close (4.1 miles from the city center), its elevation differs by just 22 ft, and its frost statistics meet our completeness rule (NOAA flag S, 30 of 30 years).

Fresno planting dates at a glance

Balanced dates use the 30%-risk last-frost date as the anchor. The Fresno planting calendar has typical and safe dates, fall planting and a month-by-month list for 26 vegetables.

When to plant tomatoes in Fresno · Fall planting dates for Fresno

Frost dates near Fresno

All California cities

Frequently asked questions

What is the average last frost date in Fresno?

Not every winter in Fresno freezes: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Fresno Yosemite International Airport at 85.4%. In the years that do freeze, the typical (50%) last one is Jan 14, and only about 1 in 10 of those years has one after Feb 11.

When is the first frost in Fresno?

In years with a freeze, the first 32°F night typically arrives by Dec 14, and in about 1 in 10 of those years it comes as early as Nov 29. NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Fresno Yosemite International Airport at 85.4%.

What growing zone is Fresno, California?

Fresno is USDA hardiness zone 9b. The 2023 map kept it in the same zone as the 2012 map.

Is it too early to plant in Fresno?

For frost-tender plants, wait until at least Jan 14. Not every year freezes here: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Fresno Yosemite International Airport at 85.4%. In years that do, another 32°F night after Jan 14 happens about half the time, and after Feb 11 about 1 time in 10. Cool-season crops like peas and lettuce can go in weeks earlier; the planting calendar has the dates.

What temperature is a killing frost?

For tender crops like tomatoes, a light frost is a killing frost. CSU Extension calls 28–32°F a light frost and below 28°F a heavy frost. Our NOAA odds cover three thresholds: 36°F (frost possible on plants), 32°F (freeze, our headline) and 28°F (hard freeze).

Is first frost the same as first freeze?

Not quite. A freeze is when the air reaches 32°F. Frost is ice that forms on surfaces, and on calm, clear nights it can form with the air a few degrees above freezing. In Fresno, the first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Dec 1. Some years never reach 32°F here (NOAA's yearly chance of a 32°F night is 85.4%). In years that do, the first 32°F night typically comes around Dec 14.

Download & sources

• Add Fresno frost & planting dates to your calendar (.ics, 2027)
• Printable planting calendar (PDF)
• How these numbers are calculated

Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal and daily normals, station USW00093193); USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ZIP tables 2023 and 2012 by the PRISM Group, Oregon State University; Census 2020 ZIP/place relationship file; USGS elevation. Long-term odds, not a forecast. Figures and sentences are generated from these data by fixed rules; see the methodology. Last updated 2026-10-08.