Frost dates in Tampa, Florida

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Tampa is January 20, and the average first fall frost is January 12, from NOAA's Tampa Intl Airport station, 4 miles from the middle of Tampa. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 10, and the first one by December 23. That leaves about 357 frost-free days. Tampa is in USDA planting zone 10a.

Weather stations around Tampa

The first row is the date most people in Tampa go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Tampa Intl Airport 4 mi away, 19 ft	January 20 1 in 10 after February 10	January 12 1 in 10 by December 23	357 days
St Petersburg Intl Airport 13 mi away, 11 ft	January 17 1 in 10 after February 6	January 14 1 in 10 by December 27	362 days
St Petersburg 17 mi away, 8 ft	January 17 1 in 10 after February 5	January 15 1 in 10 by December 23	363 days
St Petersburg Airport 17 mi away, 8 ft	Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10)
Tampa Bay Area Wfo 19 mi away, 40 ft	January 20 1 in 10 after February 16	January 9 1 in 10 by December 19	354 days

Distances are from the middle of Tampa as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 33603, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Tampa covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of Florida, station by station.

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