USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 35661 — Muscle Shoals, Alabama
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL (540 ft), under a mile west.
Updated
In Muscle Shoals, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 30 in half of years and has passed by April 13 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 3, as early as October 22 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 220 days (NOAA, Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL).
- Last spring frost
- March 30
- First fall frost
- November 3
- Growing season
- 220 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 29%
- Snow per year
- 0.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
6 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Muscle Shoals
Half of springs at Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL see their last 32°F night by March 30; only one in ten is past it by March 11, and one in ten still has one after April 13. Planting tender crops after April 4 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 8 20%, and after April 13 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 115 Alabama stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 3 in half of years, as early as October 22 one year in ten, and holds off past November 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 2, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 220 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 115 Alabama stations; it reaches 242 days one year in ten and falls short of 200 one year in ten. On average 67 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 11 days longer, to about April 10, and return around October 26. 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 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 24 |
| 32°F | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 |
| 28°F | Feb 26 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Apr 2 |
| 24°F | Feb 9 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 27 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 23 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Jan 20 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 18 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 14 |
| 16°F87% of yrs | Jan 5 | Jan 16 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 2 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Mar 3 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 14 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 |
| 32°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 19 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 2 |
| 24°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 21 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 10 |
| 16°F87% of yrs | Dec 4 | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 31 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL, 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 35661 →Compare Muscle Shoals with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Muscle Shoals 2 N, AL, 1 mile northwest of Muscle Shoals, has a last frost 3 days earlier (March 27), the same first-frost date.
When it snows in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Measurable snow is rare here: only 6 of 21 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Russellville #2, AL, 18.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 35661
| 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 11 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 20 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 3 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 35661 is under a mile from Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL, which stands at 540 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 35674 (Tuscumbia). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 35661 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°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.