USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 35620 — Elkmont, Alabama
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Ardmore, TN (885 ft), 8 miles northeast.
Updated
In Elkmont, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 30 in half of years and has passed by April 14 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 4, as early as October 23 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 223 days (NOAA, Ardmore, TN).
- Last spring frost
- March 30
- First fall frost
- November 4
- Growing season
- 223 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 43%
- Snow per year
- 1.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
10 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Elkmont
Half of springs at Ardmore, TN see their last 32°F night by March 30; only one in ten is past it by March 9, and one in ten still has one after April 14. Planting tender crops after April 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 8 20%, and after April 14 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 92% of the 115 Alabama stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 4 in half of years, as early as October 23 one year in ten, and holds off past November 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 3, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 223 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 115 Alabama stations; it reaches 247 days one year in ten and falls short of 199 one year in ten. On average 66 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 10 days longer, to about April 9, and return around October 27. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 87%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 24 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 24 |
| 32°F | Mar 9 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 14 |
| 28°F | Feb 25 | Mar 3 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 |
| 24°F | Feb 9 | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 18 | Mar 25 |
| 20°F | Jan 20 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 13 |
| 16°F87% of yrs | Jan 3 | Jan 12 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 21 | Mar 1 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 |
| 32°F | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 23 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 |
| 24°F | Nov 12 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 27 |
| 20°F | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 14 |
| 16°F87% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 19 | Jan 30 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Ardmore, TN, 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 35620 →Compare Elkmont with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Athens, AL, 11 miles south of Elkmont and 196 feet lower, has a last frost 10 days earlier (March 20), a first frost 8 days later (November 12), a season 15 days longer.
When it snows in Elkmont, Alabama
Measurable snow is rare here: only 10 of 23 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Athens, AL, 10.8 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 35620
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 19 – February 2 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 2 – February 16 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 2 – March 16 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 30 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 12 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 21 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 4 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 35620 is 8 miles from Ardmore, TN, which stands at 885 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 35773 (Toney). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 35620 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°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.