Micco Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Palm Bay. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around January 11, a growing season of about 343 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last February 11, first January 1
- Median at 32°F
- last January 30, first January 11
- Median at 28°F
- last January 19, first January 14
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 | Mar 13 | Mar 3 | Feb 24 | Feb 18 | Feb 11 | Feb 4 | Jan 30 | Jan 21 | Jan 10 |
| 32°F | Mar 1 | Feb 19 | Feb 10 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 21 | Jan 16 | Jan 8 | Jan 1 |
| 28°F | Feb 15 | Feb 5 | Feb 1 | Jan 26 | Jan 19 | Jan 14 | Jan 8 | Jan 3 | Dec 29 |
| 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 6 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Jan 30 |
| 32°F | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 22 | Feb 1 | Feb 14 |
| 28°F | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 | Feb 11 |
| 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 | 345 | 335 | 328 | 321 | 314 | 307 | 301 | 293 | 283 |
| 32°F | 365 | 365 | 363 | 353 | 343 | 334 | 327 | 318 | 308 |
| 28°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 364 | 351 | 333 |
| 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
- 97% of years
- 32°F or colder
- 67% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 27% 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
- 489
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 3,277
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 11,913
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 10,090
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 8,281
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 6,510
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,824
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 163 | 38 | 347 |
| February | 99 | 55 | 380 |
| March | 61 | 108 | 513 |
| April | 10 | 202 | 642 |
| May | 0 | 341 | 806 |
| June | 0 | 459 | 909 |
| July | 0 | 526 | 991 |
| August | 0 | 536 | 1,001 |
| September | 0 | 460 | 911 |
| October | 5 | 337 | 797 |
| November | 39 | 152 | 563 |
| December | 112 | 65 | 421 |
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 14.8 km from Micco. 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 USC00086761 (Palm Bay). Public domain.