Auburndale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Winter Haven Gilbert AP, 3.4 km from Auburndale, elevation 146 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Winter Haven Gilbert AP. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

A freeze (32°F or colder) happens in only 33 percent of years at Winter Haven Gilbert AP, so there is no typical freeze season.

Median at 36°F: last January 25, first January 8
Median at 32°F: last January 15, first January 10

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Feb 24	Feb 12	Feb 5	Jan 31	Jan 25	Jan 18	Jan 13	Jan 8	Dec 31
32°F	Feb 7	Feb 1	Jan 27	Jan 20	Jan 15	Jan 11	Jan 8	Jan 5	Dec 30
28°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
24°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
20°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
16°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Dec 15	Dec 24	Dec 30	Jan 4	Jan 8	Jan 13	Jan 18	Jan 25	Feb 3
32°F	Dec 25	Jan 1	Jan 4	Jan 7	Jan 10	Jan 14	Jan 21	Jan 28	Feb 5
28°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
24°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
20°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
16°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	365	365	358	350	344	335	329	319	308
32°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	359	349	334
28°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365
24°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365
20°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365
16°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder: 76% of years
32°F or colder: 33% of years
28°F or colder: 10% of years
24°F or colder: 1% of years
20°F or colder: 0% of years
16°F or colder: 0% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F: 421
Cooling degree days, base 65°F: 3,929
Growing degree days, base 40°F: 12,634
Growing degree days, base 45°F: 10,812
Growing degree days, base 50°F: 9,002
Growing degree days, base 55°F: 7,221
Growing degree days, base 60°F: 5,513

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

Month	Heating DD	Cooling DD	Growing DD 50
January	149	62	389
February	86	89	425
March	38	165	592
April	6	272	716
May	0	445	910
June	0	540	990
July	0	594	1,059
August	0	594	1,059
September	0	523	974
October	4	378	839
November	31	174	593
December	107	95	458

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 3.4 km from Auburndale. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USW00012876 (Winter Haven Gilbert AP). Public domain.