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

Planting zone for Brownsville, TX

Brownsville, TX is in USDA zone 10a across its 5 ZIP codes.

Brownsville on the zone map

Outlined: its 3 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 codes5

Last frostrare

First frostrare

Growing seasonall year

10a 5 ZIPs

Frost forecast — next 7 nights

live from the National Weather Service

Loading the forecast for Brownsville, TX…

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 WFO Brownsville, TX, elevation 16 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 78526 came on Jan 10 — 5 days earlier than the 1991–2020 average (Jan 15).

average
Jan 152026
Jan 10

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).

Native plants for zone 10a in Texas

651 plants native to the lower 48 states, recorded in Texas, and rated by the USDA to survive 30 °F or colder — the bottom of zone 10a. Each links to its USDA PLANTS profile.

Source: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov), National Plant Data Team — state distribution, native status and the “Temperature, Minimum” characteristic. Check light, moisture and soil needs before buying; local nurseries and your state native plant society can confirm what thrives in Brownsville, TX.

Soil in Brownsville, TX

The soil mapped at the center of ZIP 78526 is Lomalta — clay, poorly drained.

TextureClayholds water and nutrients; slow to drain and warm up

pH8.5alkaline; most vegetables like 6.0–7.0

DrainagePoorly drainedconsider raised beds

Organic matter2%moderate

Hydrologic groupDwater soaks in very slowly

Farmland classNot prime farmlandUSDA classification

Map unit: Lomalta clay, 0 to 1 percent slopes, occasionally ponded.

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 78526; soils change within a few hundred feet, so a home soil test (pH, nutrients) is still the best guide.

Climate in Brownsville, TX

Summer high94 °Faverage high, August

Winter low51 °Faverage low, January

Hot days135days a year at 90 °F or more

Freezing nights0nights a year at 32 °F or less

Growing degree days8,912base 50 °F — the season’s usable heat

Longest day13 h 46 mindaylight on June 21

Shortest day10 h 31 mindaylight on December 21

Onions to growShort-daysummer days stay under about 14 h 20 min, so long-day varieties won’t bulb

Precipitation28.7 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: WFO Brownsville, TX (6 mi away); precipitation: Brownsville 3.5 N, TX (3 mi away). Daylight is calculated from latitude.