Frost Dates for 30571 — Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia

Half of springs at Helen, GA see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after May 3. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 25 20%, and after May 3 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% of the 127 Georgia stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 19, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 197 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 127 Georgia stations; it reaches 218 days one year in ten and falls short of 172 one year in ten. On average 80 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 15 days longer, to about April 26, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 92% of winters, usually between January 1 and February 4.

July is the warmest month at Helen, GA, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 29°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 77% of years and May still brings one in 13% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,915 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 95% of the 127 Georgia stations. 37% of them (1,454) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 786. Precipitation totals 72.7 inches a year, most in December (7.0") and least in October (4.9"); May to September bring 40% of it.

The nearest other station, Cleveland, GA, 9 miles southwest of Sautee Nacoochee, has a last frost 3 days later (April 14), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 25), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sautee Nacoochee usually arrives around January 12, and the last of the season around February 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sautee 3W, GA, 3.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 63 days after the last snow.

ZIP 30571 is 3 miles from Helen, GA, which stands at 1,493 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 30571 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.