Wakulla County climate

Wakulla County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tallahassee AP, 27.7 km from Wakulla County, elevation 55 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tallahassee AP. 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 March 14 and the first fall freeze around November 23, a growing season of about 255 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 11
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 23
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first December 9

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°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 6
32°FApr 3Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 20
28°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Jan 31
24°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 27Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 22Jan 7
20°FFeb 28Feb 19Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 17Jan 7Dec 30
16°FFeb 17Feb 8Feb 3Jan 31Jan 28Jan 21Jan 14Jan 5Dec 25

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°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
32°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8Dec 17
28°FNov 15Nov 23Nov 30Dec 2Dec 9Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 12
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 14Dec 26Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 22Feb 5
20°FDec 9Dec 22Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 19Jan 27Feb 3Feb 15
16°FDec 18Jan 1Jan 9Jan 15Jan 23Jan 30Feb 2Feb 6Feb 16

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°F257247240234229224219214205
32°F286275266260255249243235227
28°F319307299292284277269261251
24°F358340331323315306300291278
20°F365365365363350339331321306
16°F365365365365365365365354334

How often it gets that cold

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

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
99% of years
24°F or colder
90% of years
20°F or colder
58% of years
16°F or colder
21% 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
1,612
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,730
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,273
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,515
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,852
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,321
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,939

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4407137
February30910170
March19237327
April59107500
May4310770
June0486936
July05551,020
August0533998
September0437886
October38199627
November20037303
December37013178

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 27.7 km from Wakulla County. 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 USC00088756 (Tallahassee AP). Public domain.