Jacksonville, Florida Frost Dates, Growing Season & Hardiness Zone

When is the last frost in Jacksonville?

A freeze isn't guaranteed every year. At Jacksonville NAS, NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at 80.2%. Every date on this page is conditional: it describes only the years that reach 32°F.

When a freeze does come, the last 32°F night is typically by Feb 1, and 1 in 10 of those years has one after Mar 3. 36°F nights (frost possible on plants) happen in 98.5% of years and typically end around Feb 18. 28°F hard freezes happen in 42.5% of years.

Jacksonville has a long late-frost tail: 30 days separate the typical date (Feb 1) from the safer 1-in-10 date (Mar 3). If tender plants go out early, be ready to protect them on cold nights.

Cool nights hang on after the last freeze. In years with a freeze, the typical last 32°F night is around Feb 1, and the typical last 36°F night (frost possible on plants in low spots) comes 17 days later, around Feb 18. On clear, calm nights, frost can form on leaves while the thermometer still reads above freezing.

Is it too early to plant in Jacksonville?

Before Feb 1 the odds of another 32°F night are better than even; after Mar 3 they are about 1 in 10 or less.

Today's risk is computed in your browser from the same NOAA probability table, shown as the range between the two nearest NOAA probability levels.

When is the first frost in Jacksonville?

In the years that freeze, half have their first 32°F night by Jan 5, and 1 in 10 of them has one as early as Dec 3. The first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Dec 17. A 28°F hard freeze comes in 42.5% of years.

Fall plantings are timed backward from first frost: Jan 5 typically, or Dec 3 if you want a cushion. See the planting calendar for each crop's date.

How long is Jacksonville's growing season?

A typical year in Jacksonville has 330 days between the last spring and first fall 32°F nights. In about 1 year in 10, there are fewer than 299 days.

With a season this long, you can grow many crops twice: once in spring and again for fall.

Growing degree days measure the heat available for crops to grow. The station averages 7,918 a year (base 50°F).

How does Jacksonville's season compare?

Compared with the 56 U.S. cities with frost dates on this site, this typical frost-free season is longer than in 51 and shorter than in 4.

Growing degree days (base 50°F)

Annual normal: 7,918 GDD (NOAA flag R, 19 years). Running total by the end of each month (sum of NOAA daily GDD normals, so the year-end total can differ slightly from the annual normal):

What growing zone is Jacksonville? (USDA 2023)

The 2023 USDA map puts Jacksonville in zone 9a–9b (20 to 30°F average coldest winter night). On the 2012 map, most of the city was 9a. Comparing ZIPs listed in both tables, 31 of 36 moved up half a zone.

Zones: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed 2026-10-08. Shown as published in the ZIP tables; this page does not show a zone map. Not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (official map: planthardiness.ars.usda.gov).

Does the new zone change Jacksonville's frost dates?

No. Hardiness zones are based only on the average coldest winter temperature. They say nothing about when spring and fall frosts happen. Jacksonville's frost dates come from NOAA's 1991–2020 frost probabilities, which did not change with the 2023 zone map. Use your zone to pick perennials that will survive winter, and your frost dates to time planting.

Why do Jacksonville frost dates differ between websites?

Some sources list Feb 15 for Jacksonville. That's the 30%-risk date: about 3 in 10 years with a freeze still have a 32°F night after it. Our headline date is Feb 1, the 50% (median) date.

Mar 3 is the 10%-risk, or 'safer', date: only about 1 in 10 years with a freeze has a 32°F night after it.

Feb 18 is the typical (50%) date for a 36°F night (frost possible on plants), not a 32°F freeze. Any site that draws the line at 36°F will show later dates.

The choice of weather station matters too. The 5 stations within 25 miles of the city center that pass our quality rules give typical (50%) last 32°F frost dates from Jan 31 to Feb 25; see the table below.

Which weather station is this based on?

Station

Jacksonville NAS (NOAA USW00093837, WBAN/ASOS-AWOS)

Distance

7.2 mi S of the city center

Elevation

20 ft; city center 4 ft (USGS), difference +16 ft

Record

NOAA completeness flag R, 23 of 30 years (1991–2020)

Confidence

High (rule)

Confidence: High. The station is 7.2 miles from the city center, only 16 ft different in elevation, and its frost statistics meet our completeness rule (NOAA flag R, 23 of 30 years).

Note: NOAA rates this station's frost statistics 'R' (representative). That means they use 23 of the 30 years in 1991–2020, with missing months filled in from surrounding stations. For comparison, the nearest station with a full 'S' (standard) record, Jacksonville (10.5 mi away), has a typical last frost of Feb 25.

Jacksonville planting dates at a glance

Balanced dates use the 30%-risk last-frost date as the anchor. The Jacksonville planting calendar has typical and safe dates, fall planting and a month-by-month list for 26 vegetables.

When to plant tomatoes in Jacksonville · Fall planting dates for Jacksonville

Frost dates near Jacksonville

All Florida cities

Frequently asked questions

What is the average last frost date in Jacksonville?

Counting only years with a freeze (80.2% of years, NOAA 1991–2020 normals at Jacksonville NAS), the median last 32°F night is Feb 1. For a safer target, use Mar 3; after that, about 1 in 10 of those years still has a freeze.

When is the first frost in Jacksonville?

Not every year has one: NOAA's yearly chance of a 32°F night at Jacksonville NAS is 80.2%. In the years with a freeze, the first typically comes by Jan 5; in about 1 in 10 of them, by Dec 3.

What growing zone is Jacksonville, Florida?

Zone 9a–9b, on the current 2023 USDA map. Most of Jacksonville was 9a on the older 2012 map, and you may still see that in older references.

Is it too early to plant in Jacksonville?

If you plant frost-tender crops before Feb 1, a 32°F night after planting is more likely than not in years with a freeze. For planting days from Feb 1 to Mar 3, that risk falls from 50% to 10% of those years. In any given year, NOAA puts the chance of a 32°F night at Jacksonville NAS at 80.2%. Peas, lettuce and other cool-season crops can go in weeks earlier (see the planting calendar).

What temperature is a killing frost?

A light frost is enough to kill tender crops such as tomatoes. CSU Extension describes 28–32°F as a light frost and anything below 28°F as a heavy frost. We report NOAA odds at three thresholds: 36°F (frost possible on plants), 32°F (freeze, our headline) and 28°F (hard freeze).

Is first frost the same as first freeze?

Not quite. A freeze is when the air reaches 32°F. Frost is ice that forms on surfaces, and on calm, clear nights it can form with the air a few degrees above freezing. In Jacksonville, the first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Dec 17. Some years never reach 32°F here (NOAA's yearly chance of a 32°F night is 80.2%). In years that do, the first 32°F night typically comes around Jan 5.

Download & sources

• Add Jacksonville frost & planting dates to your calendar (.ics, 2027)
• Printable planting calendar (PDF)
• How these numbers are calculated

Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal and daily normals, station USW00093837); USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ZIP tables 2023 and 2012 by the PRISM Group, Oregon State University; Census 2020 ZIP/place relationship file; USGS elevation. Long-term odds, not a forecast. Figures and sentences are generated from these data by fixed rules; see the methodology. Last updated 2026-10-08.