USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 33841 — Fort Meade, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Bartow 1SE, FL (111 ft), 10 miles north.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Fort Meade in 65% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 7 and the last freeze of winter around January 24; after February 20 the chance of another is under 7%.
- Last freeze
- January 24
- First freeze
- January 7
- Winters with a freeze
- 65%
- 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 Fort Meade
In the 65% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Bartow 1SE, FL see their last 32°F night by January 24; only one in ten is past it by December 27, and one in ten still has one after February 20. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 20 is under 7% and after January 24 33%. 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 7 in half of years, as early as December 17 one year in ten, and holds off past February 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 23% 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 December 30. A 24°F night is unusual: 3% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F95% of yrs | Jan 9 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 6 | Feb 12 | Feb 19 | Feb 26 | Mar 7 |
| 32°F65% of yrs | Dec 27 | Jan 5 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Jan 29 | Feb 2 | Feb 10 | Feb 20 |
| 28°F23% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F95% of yrs | Dec 2 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 16 | Jan 28 |
| 32°F65% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 6 |
| 28°F23% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Bartow 1SE, 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 33841 →Compare Fort Meade with another place →
Weather by month in Fort Meade
August is the warmest month at Bartow 1SE, FL, averaging 92°F by day and 73°F at night; January is the coldest at 73°F and 50°F. From March to November 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 8,459 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 58% of the 158 Florida stations. 45% of them (3,766) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,001. Precipitation totals 51.0 inches a year, most in June (8.3") and least in November (1.5"); May to September bring 67% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73 | 50 | 2.7 | 44% | 1 | 359 |
| Feb | 76 | 52 | 2.1 | 20% | <1 | 395 |
| Mar | 80 | 56 | 2.8 | 2% | 0 | 550 |
| Apr | 84 | 61 | 2.7 | 0% | 0 | 675 |
| May | 89 | 66 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 854 |
| Jun | 91 | 71 | 8.3 | 0% | 0 | 933 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 7.6 | 0% | 0 | 1000 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 7.8 | 0% | 0 | 1001 |
| Sep | 90 | 72 | 7.3 | 0% | 0 | 923 |
| Oct | 85 | 66 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 792 |
| Nov | 79 | 58 | 1.5 | 2% | 0 | 548 |
| Dec | 75 | 53 | 2.2 | 19% | <1 | 429 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Bartow 1SE, FL (111 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, Wauchula, FL, 14 miles south of Fort Meade, has a last frost 11 days later (February 4), a first frost 1 day later (January 8), a season 20 days shorter.
When it snows in Fort Meade, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Bartow 1SE, FL, 10.1 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 33841 is 10 miles from Bartow 1SE, FL, which stands at 111 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 33830 (Bartow). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 33841 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.