USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 32771 — Sanford, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Sanford, FL (12 ft), under a mile northeast.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Sanford in 51% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 12 and the last freeze of winter around January 26; after February 24 the chance of another is under 5%.
- Last freeze
- January 26
- First freeze
- January 12
- Winters with a freeze
- 51%
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Sanford
In the 51% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Sanford, FL see their last 32°F night by January 26; only one in ten is past it by December 31, and one in ten still has one after February 24. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 24 is under 5% and after January 26 25%. The 29 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 77% of the 101 Florida 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 January 12 in half of years, as early as December 20 one year in ten, and holds off past February 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 15% of winters. On average 3 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 9 days longer, to about February 4, and return around January 6. A 24°F night is unusual: 1% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F88% of yrs | Jan 8 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 17 | Feb 26 | Mar 6 |
| 32°F51% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 19 | Jan 26 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 12 | Feb 24 |
| 28°F15% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F88% of yrs | Dec 9 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Feb 6 |
| 32°F51% of yrs | Dec 20 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 10 |
| 28°F15% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Sanford, 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 32771 →Compare Sanford with another place →
Weather by month in Sanford
August is the warmest month at Sanford, FL, averaging 92°F by day and 75°F at night; January is the coldest at 70°F and 49°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 17% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,309 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 51% of the 158 Florida stations. 43% of them (3,594) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,025. Precipitation totals 54.1 inches a year, most in June (8.2") and least in November (2.0"); May to September bring 63% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 49 | 2.8 | 32% | 1 | 317 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 2.5 | 17% | 1 | 347 |
| Mar | 77 | 56 | 3.2 | 4% | <1 | 510 |
| Apr | 82 | 61 | 2.5 | 0% | 0 | 645 |
| May | 87 | 67 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 835 |
| Jun | 90 | 72 | 8.2 | 0% | 0 | 939 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 8.2 | 0% | 0 | 1023 |
| Aug | 92 | 75 | 8.1 | 0% | 0 | 1025 |
| Sep | 89 | 73 | 6.4 | 0% | 0 | 936 |
| Oct | 84 | 67 | 4.3 | 0% | 0 | 791 |
| Nov | 77 | 59 | 2.0 | 0% | 0 | 542 |
| Dec | 72 | 53 | 2.5 | 13% | 1 | 400 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Sanford, FL (12 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Orlando Sanford Airport, FL, 3 miles southeast of Sanford, has a last frost 2 days earlier (January 24), a first frost 3 days earlier (January 9), a season 7 days shorter.
When it snows in Sanford, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Sanford, FL, 0.9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 32771 is under a mile from Sanford, FL, which stands at 12 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 32771 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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.