USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 33890 — Zolfo Springs, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Wauchula, FL (60 ft), 6 miles northwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Zolfo Springs in 81% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 8 and the last freeze of winter around February 4; after March 5 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last freeze
- February 4
- First freeze
- January 8
- Winters with a freeze
- 81%
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Zolfo Springs
In the 81% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Wauchula, FL see their last 32°F night by February 4; only one in ten is past it by January 4, and one in ten still has one after March 5. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 5 is under 8% and after February 4 40%. The 29 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 77% 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 8 in half of years, as early as December 13 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 39% of winters. On average 5 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 18 days longer, to about February 22, and return around December 25. A 24°F night is unusual: 9% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Jan 23 | Feb 2 | Feb 8 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 20 |
| 32°F81% of yrs | Jan 4 | Jan 14 | Jan 26 | Feb 1 | Feb 4 | Feb 9 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 5 |
| 28°F39% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F9% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 13 | Jan 25 |
| 32°F81% of yrs | Dec 13 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Jan 31 | Feb 7 |
| 28°F39% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F9% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Wauchula, 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 33890 →Compare Zolfo Springs with another place →
Weather by month in Zolfo Springs
August is the warmest month at Wauchula, FL, averaging 92°F by day and 73°F at night; January is the coldest at 73°F and 48°F. From April to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 41% of years and March still brings one in 12% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,218 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 51% of the 158 Florida stations. 43% of them (3,571) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,003. Precipitation totals 52.1 inches a year, most in June (8.5") 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 | 73 | 48 | 2.3 | 52% | 3 | 336 |
| Feb | 76 | 50 | 2.2 | 41% | 1 | 370 |
| Mar | 80 | 53 | 3.0 | 12% | <1 | 507 |
| Apr | 84 | 58 | 2.9 | 0% | 0 | 629 |
| May | 89 | 64 | 3.5 | 0% | 0 | 815 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 8.5 | 0% | 0 | 915 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 7.7 | 0% | 0 | 991 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 8.5 | 0% | 0 | 1003 |
| Sep | 90 | 72 | 6.3 | 0% | 0 | 924 |
| Oct | 86 | 65 | 3.1 | 0% | 0 | 784 |
| Nov | 80 | 56 | 2.0 | 1% | 0 | 533 |
| Dec | 75 | 51 | 2.1 | 24% | 1 | 413 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Wauchula, FL (60 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, Avon Park 2 W, FL, 14 miles northeast of Zolfo Springs, has a last frost 7 days earlier (January 28), the same first-frost date, a season 11 days longer.
When it snows in Zolfo Springs, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Wauchula, FL, 6.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 33890 is 6 miles from Wauchula, FL, which stands at 60 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 33873 (Wauchula). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 33890 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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.