Palm Bay climate

Palm Bay Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Melbourne WFO, 10.8 km from Palm Bay, elevation 35 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Melbourne WFO. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around January 9, a growing season of about 359 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 6, first January 2
Median at 32°F
last January 24, first January 9
Median at 28°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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMar 9Feb 27Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 26Jan 17Jan 7
32°FFeb 24Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 24Jan 17Jan 10Jan 5Dec 29
28°FFeb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 10Jan 6Jan 2Dec 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FDec 6Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 21Feb 3
32°FDec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 22Jan 31Feb 13
28°FDec 24Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 10Jan 16Jan 24Jan 31Feb 5
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°F360347337331324316309301290
32°F365365365365359349338329316
28°F365365365365365365365364345
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
91% of years
32°F or colder
57% of years
28°F or colder
20% of years
24°F or colder
2% 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
501
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,402
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,027
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,206
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,400
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,633
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,953

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January16653365
February10468388
March60122528
April12210648
May1362826
June0462912
July0524989
August0529994
September0472923
October4350811
November37163576
December11788442

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 10.8 km from Palm Bay. 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 USC00085612 (Melbourne WFO). Public domain.