USDA Hardiness Zone 9a
Frost Dates for 32308 — Tallahassee, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Monticello 10 SW, FL (219 ft), 12 miles southeast.
Updated
In Tallahassee, the last spring frost (32°F) is around February 25 in half of years and has passed by March 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around December 3, as early as November 13 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 286 days (NOAA, Monticello 10 SW, FL).
- Last spring frost
- February 25
- First fall frost
- December 3
- Growing season
- 286 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
20 to 25°F (-6.7 to -3.9°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Tallahassee
Half of springs at Monticello 10 SW, FL see their last 32°F night by February 25; only one in ten is past it by January 25, and one in ten still has one after March 17. Planting tender crops after March 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 10 20%, and after March 17 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 79% of the 101 Florida stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by December 3 in half of years, as early as November 13 one year in ten, and holds off past January 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 24 days later, around December 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 5, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 286 days in a typical year, shorter than at 60% of the 102 Florida stations; it reaches 321 days one year in ten and falls short of 253 one year in ten. On average 19 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 March 12, and return around November 18. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 58% of winters and 16°F in 2%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Feb 18 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Apr 1 |
| 32°F | Jan 25 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 19 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 17 |
| 28°F90% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 12 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 26 | Mar 5 |
| 24°F58% of yrs | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 18 | Jan 25 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 9 | Feb 20 |
| 20°F24% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 1 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 11 |
| 32°F | Nov 13 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 | Dec 26 | Jan 6 |
| 28°F90% of yrs | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 17 | Jan 30 |
| 24°F58% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 16 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Jan 30 | Feb 7 |
| 20°F24% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Monticello 10 SW, FL, 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 32308 →Compare Tallahassee with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Tallahassee, FL, 14 miles southwest of Tallahassee and 156 feet lower, has a last frost 14 days later (March 11), a first frost 12 days earlier (November 21), a season 31 days shorter.
When it snows in Tallahassee, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Cairo 1SW, GA, 23.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 32308
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 17 – December 31 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 31 – January 14 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 28 – February 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 3 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 32308 is 12 miles from Monticello 10 SW, FL, which stands at 219 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 32308 in zone 9a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 20 to 25°F (-6.7 to -3.9°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.