A system and method are provided for monitoring temperature within a specified integrated circuit. Usefully, the system comprises at least one oscillator device proximate to the integrated circuit for generating signal pulses at a frequency that varies as a function of the temperature adjacent to the oscillator device. The system further comprises a control unit for establishing sample acquisition periods of invariant time duration based on an time invariant reference clock. A sampling component is coupled to count the number of pulses generated by the oscillator device during each of a succession of the time invariant sample acquisition periods, and a threshold component responsive to the respective count values for the succession of sample acquisition periods provides notice when at least some of the count values have a value associated with a prespecified excessive temperature level.