USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 30258 — Molena, Georgia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from The Rock Rch, GA (821 ft), 14 miles east.
Updated
In Molena, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 18 in half of years and has passed by April 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 14, as early as October 31 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 239 days (NOAA, The Rock Rch, GA).
- Last spring frost
- March 18
- First fall frost
- November 14
- Growing season
- 239 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 9%
- Snow per year
- 0.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Molena
Half of springs at The Rock Rch, GA see their last 32°F night by March 18; only one in ten is past it by February 27, and one in ten still has one after April 6. Planting tender crops after March 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 31 20%, and after April 6 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 60% of the 127 Georgia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 14 in half of years, as early as October 31 one year in ten, and holds off past December 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around November 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 24, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 239 days in a typical year, longer than at 57% of the 127 Georgia stations; it reaches 268 days one year in ten and falls short of 216 one year in ten. On average 36 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 16 days longer, to about April 3, and return around November 2. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 98% of winters and 16°F in 42%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 |
| 32°F | Feb 27 | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 6 |
| 28°F | Feb 4 | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 24 |
| 24°F98% of yrs | Jan 15 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 13 |
| 20°F78% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Jan 26 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 23 | Mar 2 |
| 16°F42% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 |
| 28°F | Nov 8 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 16 | Dec 29 |
| 24°F98% of yrs | Nov 25 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 21 |
| 20°F78% of yrs | Dec 8 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 25 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F42% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at The Rock Rch, GA, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 30258 →Compare Molena with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Thomaston 4SE, GA, 15 miles southeast of Molena and 201 feet lower, has a last frost 5 days later (March 23), a first frost 2 days earlier (November 12), a season 5 days shorter.
When it snows in Molena, Georgia
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 23 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Woodbury, GA, 7.5 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 30258
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 7 – January 21 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 21 – February 4 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 18 – March 4 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 18 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 22 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 31 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 14 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 30258 is 14 miles from The Rock Rch, GA, which stands at 821 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 31029 (Forsyth). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 30258 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.