USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 32952 — Merritt Island, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Melbourne WFO, FL (35 ft), 16 miles south.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Merritt Island in 57% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 9 and the last freeze of winter around January 24; after February 24 the chance of another is under 6%.
- Last freeze
- January 24
- First freeze
- January 9
- Winters with a freeze
- 57%
- Hardiness zone
- 10a
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°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 Merritt Island
In the 57% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Melbourne WFO, FL see their last 32°F night by January 24; only one in ten is past it by December 29, 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 6% and after January 24 29%. The 31 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 91% 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 9 in half of years, as early as December 20 one year in ten, and holds off past February 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 20% of winters. On average 2 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 13 days longer, to about February 6, and return around January 2. A 24°F night is unusual: 2% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F91% of yrs | Jan 7 | Jan 17 | Jan 26 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 20 | Feb 27 | Mar 9 |
| 32°F57% of yrs | Dec 29 | Jan 5 | Jan 10 | Jan 17 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 13 | Feb 24 |
| 28°F20% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F91% of yrs | Dec 6 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 21 | Feb 3 |
| 32°F57% of yrs | Dec 20 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 22 | Jan 31 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F20% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Melbourne WFO, 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 32952 →Compare Merritt Island with another place →
Weather by month in Merritt Island
August is the warmest month at Melbourne WFO, FL, averaging 91°F by day and 73°F at night; January is the coldest at 72°F and 51°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 19% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,400 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 54% of the 158 Florida stations. 44% of them (3,667) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 994. Precipitation totals 55.3 inches a year, most in September (8.6") and least in February (2.3"); May to September bring 62% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 51 | 2.8 | 37% | 1 | 365 |
| Feb | 75 | 53 | 2.3 | 19% | <1 | 388 |
| Mar | 78 | 56 | 2.9 | 3% | 0 | 528 |
| Apr | 82 | 61 | 2.5 | 0% | 0 | 648 |
| May | 86 | 67 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 826 |
| Jun | 89 | 72 | 7.5 | 0% | 0 | 912 |
| Jul | 91 | 73 | 6.8 | 0% | 0 | 989 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 7.5 | 0% | 0 | 994 |
| Sep | 89 | 73 | 8.6 | 0% | 0 | 923 |
| Oct | 84 | 68 | 5.3 | 0% | 0 | 811 |
| Nov | 79 | 60 | 2.6 | 0% | 0 | 576 |
| Dec | 74 | 54 | 2.7 | 15% | 1 | 442 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Melbourne WFO, FL (35 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, Melbourne International Airport, FL, 17 miles south of Merritt Island, has a 32°F night in 34% of winters against 57% here, and a coolest-month low 1°F warmer (52°F).
When it snows in Merritt Island, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Melbourne WFO, FL, 16.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 32952 is 16 miles from Melbourne WFO, FL, which stands at 35 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 6 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 32940 (Melbourne). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 32952 in zone 10a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°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.