USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 34972 — Okeechobee, Florida
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Okeechobee, FL (18 ft), 17 miles south.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Okeechobee in 57% of winters. When it does, the first freeze of winter comes around January 11 and the last freeze of winter around January 31; after March 1 the chance of another is under 6%.
- Last freeze
- January 31
- First freeze
- January 11
- Winters with a freeze
- 57%
- 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 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Okeechobee
In the 57% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of winters at Okeechobee, FL see their last 32°F night by January 31; only one in ten is past it by January 1, and one in ten still has one after March 1. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 1 is under 6% and after January 31 28%. 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 11 in half of years, as early as December 23 one year in ten, and holds off past February 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 24% 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 7 days longer, to about February 7, and return around January 3. A 24°F night is unusual: 4% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F90% of yrs | Jan 6 | Jan 15 | Jan 25 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Mar 1 | Mar 8 |
| 32°F57% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Jan 31 | Feb 4 | Feb 10 | Feb 20 | Mar 1 |
| 28°F24% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F4% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F90% of yrs | Dec 6 | Dec 17 | Dec 25 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 22 | Feb 4 |
| 32°F57% of yrs | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Feb 1 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F24% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F4% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Okeechobee, 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 34972 →Compare Okeechobee with another place →
Weather by month in Okeechobee
August is the warmest month at Okeechobee, FL, averaging 92°F by day and 75°F at night; January is the coldest at 74°F and 52°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 9,004 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 77% of the 158 Florida stations. 45% of them (4,059) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,034. Precipitation totals 50.4 inches a year, most in June (7.3") and least in November (1.9"); May to September bring 63% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74 | 52 | 2.5 | 37% | 1 | 422 |
| Feb | 77 | 55 | 2.1 | 22% | <1 | 446 |
| Mar | 82 | 59 | 3.0 | 6% | 0 | 636 |
| Apr | 84 | 64 | 2.9 | 0% | 0 | 726 |
| May | 89 | 68 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 877 |
| Jun | 90 | 73 | 7.3 | 0% | 0 | 953 |
| Jul | 92 | 75 | 5.9 | 0% | 0 | 1031 |
| Aug | 92 | 75 | 7.3 | 0% | 0 | 1034 |
| Sep | 90 | 74 | 7.2 | 0% | 0 | 954 |
| Oct | 86 | 68 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 837 |
| Nov | 80 | 60 | 1.9 | 0% | 0 | 606 |
| Dec | 76 | 55 | 2.3 | 13% | 1 | 484 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Okeechobee, FL (18 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, Fort Pierce St Lucie Co International Airport, FL, 31 miles east of Okeechobee, has a 32°F night in 49% of winters against 57% here, and a coolest-month low 1°F colder (51°F).
When it snows in Okeechobee, Florida
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Okeechobee, FL, 16.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 34972 is 17 miles from Okeechobee, FL, which stands at 18 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 34974 (Okeechobee). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 34972 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.