USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 32953 — Merritt Island, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Titusville 7 E, FL (3 ft), 15 miles north.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Merritt Island in 55% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 16 and the last freeze of winter around January 29; after February 26 the chance of another is under 6%.
- Last freeze
- January 29
- First freeze
- January 16
- Winters with a freeze
- 55%
- 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 55% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Titusville 7 E, FL see their last 32°F night by January 29; only one in ten is past it by January 4, and one in ten still has one after February 26. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 26 is under 6% and after January 29 28%. The 28 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 67% 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 16 in half of years, as early as December 29 one year in ten, and holds off past February 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 18% 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 12 days longer, to about February 10, and return around January 8. A 24°F night is unusual: 4% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F92% of yrs | Jan 12 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 16 | Feb 23 | Mar 2 | Mar 11 |
| 32°F55% of yrs | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 18 | Jan 23 | Jan 29 | Feb 2 | Feb 7 | Feb 16 | Feb 26 |
| 28°F18% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F4% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F92% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 29 | Feb 9 |
| 32°F55% of yrs | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 22 | Jan 28 | Feb 5 | Feb 17 |
| 28°F18% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F4% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Titusville 7 E, 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 32953 →Compare Merritt Island with another place →
Weather by month in Merritt Island
August is the warmest month at Titusville 7 E, FL, averaging 89°F by day and 74°F at night; January is the coldest at 70°F and 50°F. From March to December the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 20% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 7,929 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 56% of the 158 Florida stations. 43% of them (3,396) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 969. Precipitation totals 48.7 inches a year, most in September (7.2") and least in April (2.0"); May to September bring 59% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 50 | 2.3 | 38% | 1 | 332 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 2.4 | 20% | <1 | 353 |
| Mar | 75 | 56 | 3.3 | 4% | <1 | 473 |
| Apr | 80 | 60 | 2.0 | 0% | 0 | 600 |
| May | 84 | 66 | 2.9 | 0% | 0 | 769 |
| Jun | 87 | 71 | 6.9 | 0% | 0 | 870 |
| Jul | 89 | 73 | 5.8 | 0% | 0 | 950 |
| Aug | 89 | 74 | 6.0 | 0% | 0 | 969 |
| Sep | 87 | 72 | 7.2 | 0% | 0 | 884 |
| Oct | 82 | 67 | 5.2 | 0% | 0 | 764 |
| Nov | 76 | 60 | 2.5 | 0% | 0 | 543 |
| Dec | 72 | 55 | 2.2 | 8% | <1 | 423 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Titusville 7 E, FL (3 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, Titusville, FL, 17 miles northwest of Merritt Island, has a last frost 4 days earlier (January 25), a first frost 3 days earlier (January 13), a season 9 days longer.
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 Titusville, FL, 17.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 32953 is 15 miles from Titusville 7 E, FL, which stands at 3 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 32953 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.