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USDA Hardiness Zone 7a

Frost Dates for 37080 — Joelton, Tennessee

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Goodlettsville 7WNW, TN (820 ft), 5 miles east.

Updated

In Joelton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 7 in half of years and has passed by April 26 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 28, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 204 days (NOAA, Goodlettsville 7WNW, TN).

Last spring frost
April 7

50% probability

First fall frost
October 28

50% probability

Growing season
204 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
7a

0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night

First snow
January 8

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
February 20

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
95%

21 of 22 observed

Snow per year
5.8"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Joelton

Half of springs at Goodlettsville 7WNW, TN see their last 32°F night by April 7; only one in ten is past it by March 23, and one in ten still has one after April 26. Planting tender crops after April 16 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 26 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 84% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 15, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 204 days in a typical year, shorter than at 47% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 224 days one year in ten and falls short of 181 one year in ten. On average 91 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 13 days longer, to about April 20, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 15 and February 25.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 4Apr 9Apr 13Apr 17Apr 20Apr 23Apr 27May 1May 5
32°FMar 23Mar 29Apr 2Apr 4Apr 7Apr 11Apr 16Apr 21Apr 26
28°FMar 11Mar 16Mar 21Mar 26Mar 29Apr 1Apr 4Apr 7Apr 15
24°FFeb 28Mar 5Mar 10Mar 14Mar 17Mar 21Mar 26Mar 31Apr 4
20°FFeb 16Feb 24Feb 28Mar 2Mar 6Mar 10Mar 14Mar 19Mar 26
16°FFeb 3Feb 9Feb 14Feb 20Feb 25Feb 28Mar 3Mar 8Mar 14
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30
32°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 11
28°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24
24°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 9

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Goodlettsville 7WNW, 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 37080 →Compare Joelton with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Springfield Exp Stn, TN, 10 miles north of Joelton, has a last frost 2 days later (April 9), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days shorter.

Frost dates for 37172 (Springfield) →

When it snows in Joelton, Tennessee

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Joelton usually arrives around January 8, and the last of the season around February 20. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Springfield Exp Stn, TN, 10.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 46 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 37080

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Joelton, Tennessee
WhenWhat to do
January 27 – February 10Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 10 – February 24Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 10 – March 24Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 7 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 5Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 14Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 28 onwardPlant 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 37080 is 5 miles from Goodlettsville 7WNW, TN, which stands at 820 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 37080 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Tennessee →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 7a places in Tennessee