Data: 2023 USDA zones (PRISM/OSU) · NOAA 1991–2020 normals · updated Oct 29, 2026

Planting zone for Desert Hot Springs, CA

Desert Hot Springs, CA is in USDA zone 10a across its 2 ZIP codes.

Desert Hot Springs on the zone map

Outlined: its 2 ZIP code areas · tap the map for the zone at any spot · scroll or pinch to zoom

Not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zones come from the 2023 USDA hardiness-zone data by the PRISM Group, Oregon State University; we re-mapped and recolored them. The official map is at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.

Zone10a30 to 35 °F

ZIP codes2

Last frostrare

First frostrare

Growing seasonall year

10a 2 ZIPs

Frost forecast — next 7 nights

live from the National Weather Service

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Forecast data: National Weather Service (api.weather.gov), public domain. This is not a warning service — for official frost and freeze warnings see weather.gov.

Frost dates

A 32 °F frost doesn't happen here in most winters. At the nearest station (NOAA station Palm Springs Regional Airport, CA, elevation 420 ft) the median growing season is 365 days. When frost does come, it is a midwinter night or two; cover tender plants when a freeze is forecast.

Frost data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

When spring arrived in 2026

In 2026, spring leaf-out near 92240 came on Jan 16 — 6 days earlier than the 1991–2020 average (Jan 22).

average
Jan 222026
Jan 16

JanFebMarAprMayJun

The Spring Index marks the day when accumulated warmth is enough for lilac and honeysuckle to leaf out — a widely used signal that the growing season has started. Source: USA National Phenology Network, www.usanpn.org — Spring Indices, first leaf, 2026 (data as of 2026-09-08) and 30-year average 1991–2020 (CC BY 4.0).

Soil in Desert Hot Springs, CA

The soil mapped at the center of ZIP 92240 is Carsitas — fine sand, excessively drained.

TextureFine sanddrains and warms fast; dries out and needs more feeding

pH8.2alkaline; most vegetables like 6.0–7.0

DrainageExcessively drainednatural drainage class

Organic matter0.5%low — add compost

Hydrologic groupAwater soaks in fast

Farmland classNot prime farmlandUSDA classification

Map unit: Carsitas fine sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes.

Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA. Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database, via Soil Data Access, accessed 2026-10-29. The soil at the center point of ZIP 92240; soils change within a few hundred feet, so a home soil test (pH, nutrients) is still the best guide.

Climate in Desert Hot Springs, CA

Summer high109 °Faverage high, July

Winter low46 °Faverage low, December

Hot days177days a year at 90 °F or more

Freezing nights0nights a year at 32 °F or less

Growing degree days9,384base 50 °F — the season’s usable heat

Longest day14 h 25 mindaylight on June 21

Shortest day9 h 54 mindaylight on December 21

Onions to growIntermediateday-neutral types bulb best; long-day varieties may not bulb fully

Precipitation4.6 inper year, rain and melted snow

Average high and low, by month

Precipitation by month inches

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — temperature: Palm Springs Regional Airport, CA (9 mi away); precipitation: Palm Springs Regional Airport, CA (9 mi away). Daylight is calculated from latitude.