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Frost dates for Tucson

The typical last spring frost in Tucson is Feb 5, and the typical first fall frost is Dec 9. These dates come from Tucson International Airport, and the growing season between them is 307 days.

NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal (c20230404), USW00023160

This season's measured frost

No freeze has been recorded yet this fall at Tucson International Airport; the lowest reading since July 1 is 61F on Oct 1, against a typical first frost date of Dec 9.

No freeze was recorded at Tucson International Airport in the first half of 2026.

Readings come from official daily lows in the daily climate report of the National Weather Service, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.

Early, typical and late years for Tucson

Early, typical and late years for Tucson
Year typeLast spring frostFirst fall frost
Early year (1 in 10)Jan 4Nov 21
Typical yearFeb 5Dec 9
Late year (1 in 10)Mar 2Jan 3

For spring, an early year means 1 year in 10 has a last freeze before the early date, and a late year means 1 year in 10 has a last freeze after the late date. For fall, an early year means 1 year in 10 has a first freeze by the early date, and a late year means it holds off past the late date.

The growing season in a typical year is 307 days, with the shortest at 274 days and the longest at 344 days in 1 year in 10.

Frost and freeze thresholds

Frost and freeze thresholds
Last spring frostFirst fall frost
Light frost (36F)Feb 28Nov 26
Freeze (32F)Feb 5Dec 9
Hard freeze (28F)Jan 11Dec 26

Clear, calm nights can see frost on plants at a low of 36F. A low of 32F is a freeze, and most tender plants are killed at 28F, a hard freeze.

More weather for Tucson

A typical date is the median: half of years have an earlier last spring frost, half a later one. An early year means 1 year in 10, and a late year means 1 year in 10. Dates come from the U.S. Climate Normals for 1991-2020, published by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, using a daily low of 32F or below as a freeze.

The daily climate report is issued by the local National Weather Service forecast office and delivered to this page by the Iowa Environmental Mesonet of Iowa State University. Under 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright attaches to the government-produced figures on this page, including reports, alerts, station observations, and normals, which were created by the National Weather Service and other NOAA offices. The notice that 17 U.S.C. 403 requires appears in this sentence. It does not imply endorsement by or affiliation with those agencies. See: Data sources and attribution.