Cape Canaveral climate

Cape Canaveral Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Titusville 7 E, 24.9 km from Cape Canaveral, elevation 3 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Titusville 7 E. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around January 29 and the first fall freeze around January 16, a growing season of about 353 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 10, first January 8
Median at 32°F
last January 29, first January 16
Median at 28°F
last January 17, first January 13

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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMar 11Mar 2Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 23Jan 12
32°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 10Jan 4
28°FFeb 7Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 17Jan 12Jan 9Jan 5Jan 1
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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FDec 17Dec 26Dec 31Jan 4Jan 8Jan 14Jan 21Jan 29Feb 9
32°FDec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 16Jan 22Jan 28Feb 5Feb 17
28°FJan 1Jan 3Jan 6Jan 10Jan 13Jan 17Jan 25Jan 31Feb 6
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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F358345335329322315308302291
32°F365365365363353344335328315
28°F365365365365365365365358338
24°F365365365365365365365365365
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

How often it gets that cold

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

36°F or colder
92% of years
32°F or colder
55% of years
28°F or colder
18% of years
24°F or colder
4% 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
580
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,000
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,547
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,730
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,929
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,173
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,510

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January18837332
February12754353
March7884473
April15165600
May0304769
June0420870
July0485950
August0504969
September0433884
October7306764
November43136543
December12272423

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 24.9 km from Cape Canaveral. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USW00092821 (Titusville 7 E). Public domain.