USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 33803 — Lakeland, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lakeland 2, FL (139 ft), 4 miles southwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Lakeland in 68% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 9 and the last freeze of winter around January 26; after February 21 the chance of another is under 7%.
- Last freeze
- January 26
- First freeze
- January 9
- Winters with a freeze
- 68%
- 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 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Lakeland
In the 68% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Lakeland 2, FL see their last 32°F night by January 26; only one in ten is past it by January 2, and one in ten still has one after February 21. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 21 is under 7% and after January 26 34%. The 26 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 52% 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 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 28% 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 13 days longer, to about February 8, and return around December 30. A 24°F night is unusual: 6% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F96% of yrs | Jan 11 | Jan 21 | Jan 29 | Feb 3 | Feb 8 | Feb 14 | Feb 20 | Feb 27 | Mar 8 |
| 32°F68% of yrs | Jan 2 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 26 | Jan 30 | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 21 |
| 28°F28% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F6% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F96% of yrs | Dec 3 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 25 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 26 |
| 32°F68% of yrs | Dec 20 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 4 |
| 28°F28% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F6% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lakeland 2, 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 33803 →Compare Lakeland with another place →
Weather by month in Lakeland
August is the warmest month at Lakeland 2, FL, averaging 92°F by day and 74°F at night; January is the coldest at 74°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 22% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,776 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 68% of the 158 Florida stations. 45% of them (3,907) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,032. Precipitation totals 56.8 inches a year, most in August (9.1") and least in November (1.9"); May to September bring 67% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74 | 51 | 3.0 | 51% | 2 | 389 |
| Feb | 77 | 53 | 2.3 | 22% | <1 | 423 |
| Mar | 80 | 57 | 3.1 | 3% | 0 | 569 |
| Apr | 85 | 61 | 2.8 | 0% | 0 | 698 |
| May | 90 | 67 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 874 |
| Jun | 91 | 72 | 8.7 | 0% | 0 | 954 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 8.9 | 0% | 0 | 1028 |
| Aug | 92 | 74 | 9.1 | 0% | 0 | 1032 |
| Sep | 90 | 73 | 7.6 | 0% | 0 | 951 |
| Oct | 86 | 67 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 818 |
| Nov | 80 | 59 | 1.9 | 0% | 0 | 576 |
| Dec | 76 | 54 | 2.6 | 19% | 1 | 464 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lakeland 2, FL (139 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, Plant City, FL, 11 miles west of Lakeland, has a last frost 4 days later (January 30), a first frost 3 days earlier (January 6), a season 14 days shorter.
When it snows in Lakeland, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 15 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Lakeland 2, FL, 4.1 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 33803 is 4 miles from Lakeland 2, FL, which stands at 139 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 33810 (Lakeland). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 33803 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.