Could this cold snap be Austin's last freeze of the winter?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — If this colder than normal February and latest stretch of chilly weather have you wondering when you can plant your spring garden, you may like the forecast going forward.

The most recent cold snap brought Austin 25 consecutive hours of freezing temperatures from noon Wednesday to 1 p.m. Thursday. This came a week and a half after our typical last freeze of the winter — Feb. 15.

Camp Mabry has thus far recorded 15 freezes this winter with another expected early Friday. This is more than our average 12 freezes per winter. The coldest temperatures observed so far this winter were 21° at Camp Mabry on Feb. 4 and a daily record low of 18° at Austin-Bergstrom on Feb. 6.

Though we have had more freezes than normal this winter, the cold temperatures got off to a very late start. Camp Mabry's first freeze this winter did not come until Jan. 2 — the fourth-latest first freeze on record. Austin's average first freeze comes Dec. 1.

Long-range computer models are hinting at a steady warming trend next week back to more typical temperatures for this time of year, with no additional significant cold fronts in the next 14+ days.

If we make it until mid-March without any additional freezes as indicated, seeing a freeze after that time in Austin is extremely unlikely. An additional Hill Country freeze cannot be ruled out during this timeframe, so stay tuned to your latest First Warning Forecast for the latest.