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Frost dates for Orlando Sanford Airport, Florida

Half of years have their last spring frost by January 24, but 1 year in 10 still frosts after February 23.

A frost date is really a percentile from 30 years of records at a nearby weather station: in about half of years a frost still comes after the median date. Both numbers are below, so you can choose the risk yourself.

The odds

Last spring frost

How often a frost still comes on or after each date.

1 year in 10
February 23
1 year in 5
February 12
3 years in 10
February 3
2 years in 5
January 30
Half of years (the median)
January 24

First fall freeze

How often the first freeze comes on or before each date.

1 year in 10
December 15
1 year in 5
December 24
3 years in 10
December 31
2 years in 5
January 4
Half of years (the median)
January 9
Growing season
about 352 days
Hardiness zones nearby
10a, 9b
Summer days
a usual high of about 33 °C92 °F
Lettuce and spinach run to seed
April to September, in hot, long days (how we know)

Summer and rain

A growing garden needs about 25 mm1 in of water a week, rain and watering together. Here is what a normal month brings.

Hot-weather watering
June to August: days run above 32 °C90 °F and nights stay above 21 °C70 °F, so expect to water daily or every other day (how we know)

Month by month

January
high ~22 °C71 °F · low ~10 °C50 °F · rain ~60 mm2.4 in
February
high ~23 °C74 °F · low ~11 °C52 °F · rain ~57 mm2.2 in
March
high ~26 °C78 °F · low ~13 °C56 °F · rain ~72 mm2.9 in
April
high ~29 °C83 °F · low ~16 °C61 °F · rain ~60 mm2.4 in
May
high ~31 °C89 °F · low ~19 °C67 °F · rain ~84 mm3.3 in
June
high ~33 °C91 °F · low ~23 °C73 °F · rain ~208 mm8.2 in
July
high ~34 °C93 °F · low ~24 °C74 °F · rain ~185 mm7.3 in
August
high ~34 °C92 °F · low ~24 °C75 °F · rain ~172 mm6.8 in
September
high ~32 °C90 °F · low ~23 °C73 °F · rain ~158 mm6.2 in
October
high ~29 °C85 °F · low ~19 °C67 °F · rain ~99 mm3.9 in
November
high ~26 °C78 °F · low ~15 °C58 °F · rain ~48 mm1.9 in
December
high ~23 °C73 °F · low ~12 °C53 °F · rain ~57 mm2.2 in

Where these numbers come from

NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Climate Normals, the Orlando Sanford Airport station (listed by NOAA as Orlando Sanford Ap, USW00012854), at 28.78, -81.24. These are that station’s own records, unshifted. The further your garden is from it, the less exactly they describe your ground. The planner finds the nearest station to your garden and lowers its confidence with distance, so no number is presented as if it were measured in your garden.

Cold air also pools in low ground on the clear, still nights when frost happens, so a hollow can freeze while a slope a few hundred feet away does not. No table can know that about your garden. A few seasons of your own logged frosts can.

ZIP codes nearest this station

32708, 32713, 32725, 32732, 32738, 32746, 32750, 32764, 32765, 32771, 32773.

Nearby stations

The nearest stations and how their last-frost dates compare. Together they show how frost varies across your area.

Other stations in Florida.

What can I plant now? ›

When do I plant? · Where the dates come from

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