USDA Hardiness Zone 9a
Frost Dates for 32440 — Graceville, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Bonifay Tri Co Airport, FL (85 ft), 8 miles southwest.
Updated
In Graceville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 5 in half of years and has passed by March 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 18, as early as November 4 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 260 days (NOAA, Bonifay Tri Co Airport, FL).
- Last spring frost
- March 5
- First fall frost
- November 18
- Growing season
- 260 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 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Graceville
Half of springs at Bonifay Tri Co Airport, FL see their last 32°F night by March 5; only one in ten is past it by February 8, and one in ten still has one after March 25. Planting tender crops after March 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 18 20%, and after March 25 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 November 18 in half of years, as early as November 4 one year in ten, and holds off past December 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around December 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 14, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 260 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 102 Florida stations; it reaches 295 days one year in ten and falls short of 233 one year in ten. On average 28 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 17 days longer, to about March 22, and return around November 8. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 85% of winters and 16°F in 14%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 | Apr 9 |
| 32°F | Feb 8 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 25 |
| 28°F99% of yrs | Jan 14 | Jan 29 | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 14 |
| 24°F85% of yrs | Dec 27 | Jan 7 | Jan 17 | Jan 25 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 12 | Feb 20 | Mar 2 |
| 20°F47% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F14% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 32°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 12 |
| 28°F99% of yrs | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 9 |
| 24°F85% of yrs | Nov 26 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 17 | Feb 1 |
| 20°F47% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F14% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Bonifay Tri Co Airport, 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 32440 →Compare Graceville with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Chipley, FL, 11 miles south of Graceville, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 3 days later (November 21), a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Graceville, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 23 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Chipley, FL, 10.8 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 32440
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 25 – January 8 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 8 – January 22 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 5 – February 19 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 26 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 4 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 18 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 32440 is 8 miles from Bonifay Tri Co Airport, FL, which stands at 85 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 32425 (Bonifay). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 32440 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.