USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 34240 — Sarasota, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Myakka Rvr Sp, FL (19 ft), 9 miles southeast.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Sarasota in 79% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 6 and the last freeze of winter around February 1; after March 3 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last freeze
- February 1
- First freeze
- January 6
- Winters with a freeze
- 79%
- 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 Sarasota
In the 79% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Myakka Rvr Sp, FL see their last 32°F night by February 1; only one in ten is past it by January 1, and one in ten still has one after March 3. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 3 is under 8% and after February 1 40%. The 30 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 82% 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 6 in half of years, as early as December 5 one year in ten, and holds off past February 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 40% 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 18 days longer, to about February 19, and return around December 27. A 24°F night is unusual: 10% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F97% of yrs | Jan 19 | Jan 30 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 19 | Feb 24 | Mar 3 | Mar 10 | Mar 19 |
| 32°F79% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 1 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 20 | Mar 3 |
| 28°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F97% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 22 |
| 32°F79% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 26 | Feb 5 |
| 28°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Myakka Rvr Sp, 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 34240 →Compare Sarasota with another place →
Weather by month in Sarasota
August is the warmest month at Myakka Rvr Sp, FL, averaging 93°F by day and 74°F at night; January is the coldest at 75°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 33% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,654 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 63% of the 158 Florida stations. 44% of them (3,826) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,025. Precipitation totals 61.2 inches a year, most in August (10.1") and least in November (2.0"); May to September bring 69% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75 | 50 | 2.9 | 54% | 2 | 388 |
| Feb | 78 | 52 | 2.4 | 33% | 1 | 422 |
| Mar | 81 | 55 | 3.0 | 10% | <1 | 557 |
| Apr | 85 | 60 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 675 |
| May | 90 | 65 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 848 |
| Jun | 92 | 71 | 10.0 | 0% | 0 | 936 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 9.8 | 0% | 0 | 1009 |
| Aug | 93 | 74 | 10.1 | 0% | 0 | 1025 |
| Sep | 91 | 72 | 8.5 | 0% | 0 | 944 |
| Oct | 87 | 66 | 3.2 | 0% | 0 | 815 |
| Nov | 81 | 57 | 2.0 | 3% | 0 | 573 |
| Dec | 77 | 53 | 2.5 | 26% | 1 | 463 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Myakka Rvr Sp, FL (19 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, Bradenton 5 ESE, FL, 10 miles northwest of Sarasota, has a 32°F night in 31% of winters against 79% here, and a coolest-month low 2°F warmer (52°F).
When it snows in Sarasota, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Myakka Rvr Sp, FL, 8.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 34240 is 9 miles from Myakka Rvr Sp, FL, which stands at 19 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 34240 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.