USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 33573 — Sun City Center, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Tampa Bay Area WFO, FL (40 ft), 3 miles west.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Sun City Center in 54% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 9 and the last freeze of winter around January 20; after February 16 the chance of another is under 5%.
- Last freeze
- January 20
- First freeze
- January 9
- Winters with a freeze
- 54%
- 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 Sun City Center
In the 54% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Tampa Bay Area WFO, FL see their last 32°F night by January 20; only one in ten is past it by December 31, and one in ten still has one after February 16. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 16 is under 5% and after January 20 27%. The 27 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 58% 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 19 one year in ten, and holds off past February 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 17% 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 14 days longer, to about February 3, and return around January 1. 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 6 | Jan 14 | Jan 23 | Jan 29 | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Mar 6 |
| 32°F54% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 16 |
| 28°F17% 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 4 | Dec 12 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 13 | Jan 22 | Feb 1 |
| 32°F54% of yrs | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 27 | Feb 7 |
| 28°F17% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Tampa Bay Area 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 33573 →Compare Sun City Center with another place →
Weather by month in Sun City Center
August is the warmest month at Tampa Bay Area WFO, FL, averaging 91°F by day and 74°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 15% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,475 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 59% of the 158 Florida stations. 44% of them (3,739) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,006. Precipitation totals 53.7 inches a year, most in August (8.8") and least in November (2.0"); May to September bring 66% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 51 | 2.7 | 37% | 1 | 362 |
| Feb | 75 | 53 | 2.2 | 15% | <1 | 393 |
| Mar | 78 | 57 | 3.0 | 2% | 0 | 543 |
| Apr | 83 | 62 | 2.7 | 0% | 0 | 668 |
| May | 88 | 67 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 843 |
| Jun | 90 | 72 | 7.9 | 0% | 0 | 930 |
| Jul | 91 | 74 | 8.2 | 0% | 0 | 998 |
| Aug | 91 | 74 | 8.8 | 0% | 0 | 1006 |
| Sep | 90 | 73 | 7.7 | 0% | 0 | 936 |
| Oct | 85 | 67 | 2.9 | 0% | 0 | 804 |
| Nov | 79 | 58 | 2.0 | 0% | 0 | 555 |
| Dec | 74 | 54 | 2.6 | 14% | <1 | 437 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Tampa Bay Area WFO, FL (40 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, Parrish, FL, 7 miles south of Sun City Center, has a last frost 8 days later (January 28), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days shorter.
When it snows in Sun City Center, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Parrish, FL, 7.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 33573 is 3 miles from Tampa Bay Area WFO, FL, which stands at 40 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 33579 (Riverview). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 33573 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.