Jacksonville, FL Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

Winter is the only frost season Jacksonville has. Even odds put the first freeze of the cold season at January 5, after the new year, and the last at February 1, which leaves 330 days frost-free in a typical year.

Even odds are a coin toss, so plan around the safer edges: one spring in ten still has a freeze on or after March 3, and one fall in ten has its first freeze by December 3. Jacksonville's season is 101 days longer than the 229 days median across the 100 cities on these pages, which puts it 10th for season length.

NOAA measured them at Jacksonville NAS (station USW00093837), about 7.2 miles south of the Census Bureau's internal point for Jacksonville and about 20 feet above sea level.

Jacksonville's last spring frost, by chance

Frost is still possible on December 31 in nine springs out of ten and on February 1 in five; only one spring in ten sees a freeze as late as March 3.

The earliest and latest of these dates are 62 days apart, wider than for most of the 100 cities here. A freeze can still come 30 days after the typical date in Jacksonville, which is why the late date matters more here than in most places.

First fall frost in Jacksonville

A first freeze on or before December 3 happens one fall in ten. By January 5 half of years have had one, and by February 6 nine years in ten have.

65 days separate the early and late fall dates, a broad band compared with most cities here, so a fall crop in Jacksonville should be planned against the early date, not the typical one.

How long is the frost-free season in Jacksonville?

A season this much longer than the middle of the pack gives Jacksonville more days for slow crops, as the fall planting dates below show. The gap between a typical year and a short one is 31 days, wider than for most cities on these pages. Count on 299 days, not 330 days, when a crop has little slack.

The first freeze of the cold season comes after the new year here, so the season figures below are NOAA's own counts, not a subtraction between two dates in one calendar year. A night at or below 32°F shows up in only 80.2% of years here. In the remaining 19.8% winter passes without one, so these dates describe when frost is possible, not when it is certain.

When a hard freeze reaches Jacksonville

A hard freeze follows the first frost quickly in Jacksonville: the typical 28°F night arrives on January 14 in fall, only 9 days after the first 32°F one on January 5, and in spring the last one comes on January 22, 10 days before the last 32°F frost. Tender plants get little warning here. The late 28°F spring date, February 19, is the one that still catches blooms and young transplants one year in ten, and the early fall date, December 19, is when a hard freeze has arrived in one fall out of ten.

What this means for planting in Jacksonville

In Jacksonville the University of New Hampshire Extension count lands like this, measured from the typical last frost on February 1: lettuce from January 4 to January 11, cabbage on January 4, seed potatoes from January 18 to January 25, then peppers on February 15 and beans from February 1. Peas are the exception to the count: University of New Hampshire Extension says to plant them as soon as the soil thaws, whatever the frost date.

Counting from the late date instead of the typical one adds 30 days before tender crops go out, a big difference in Jacksonville. Gardeners who cannot cover plants on a cold night should take the later date.

For fall, NC State Extension gives each crop's days to harvest, and University of Georgia Extension adds a harvest allowance of 18 days; you count back that total from the first frost. Every one of the 34 fall crops in the fall planner still has a last planting day on or after July in Jacksonville. The slowest crop that still fits is parsnips, which needs 148 days before the early first frost and so must be in by July 8.

Worked example: planting broccoli for fall in Jacksonville

Work through broccoli transplants for fall in Jacksonville. The longest days to harvest NC State Extension gives is 80 days, plus University of Georgia Extension's allowance of 18 days, for 98 days in all. Subtract that from the typical first frost on January 5 and the last day to plant is September 29; subtract it from the early date on December 3 and it is August 27.

The two answers are 33 days apart, a wide enough gap that the early date is the safer one to follow in Jacksonville.

The same crop family has a spring clock too. University of New Hampshire Extension sets cabbage out ahead of the last frost, and from February 1 in Jacksonville that means on January 4.

About the Jacksonville NAS station

The station lies 7.2 miles south of Jacksonville's internal point, farther than most on these pages, so treat its dates as a regional guide.

Its elevation is about 20 feet. Of the 100 stations behind these pages, 91 sit higher and 6 lower. Its completeness flag is R, which NOAA uses for a representative record.

The Census Gazetteer gives no elevation for Jacksonville itself, so this page cannot tell you whether your garden sits above or below the station. If it is noticeably higher or lower, compare the stations the frost dates tool lists nearby and lean toward the colder reading.

Nearby cities and their frost dates

Of the cities on these pages, Orlando, FL is closest to Jacksonville at 135 miles, with two more farther out; none is a close neighbor.

• Orlando, FL lies 135 miles south of Jacksonville. Typical last frost January 25, first frost January 10, 355 days between; the last frost is 7 days earlier than in Jacksonville, and the season runs 25 days longer.
• Tallahassee, FL lies 155 miles west of Jacksonville. Typical last frost March 11, first frost November 21, 255 days between; spring frost lingers 38 days longer than in Jacksonville, and the frost-free season is 75 days shorter than Jacksonville's.
• Augusta, GA, 211 miles to the north: last frost March 23, first frost November 9, 232 days frost-free; its last frost comes 50 days after Jacksonville's, and the frost-free season is 98 days shorter than Jacksonville's.

Take these dates further

To go beyond the crops above, use the spring planting planner and fall planting planner, both set to this station. The frost dates tool shows the full odds for Jacksonville, and the hardiness zone lookup gives the winter-cold zone for your ZIP code.

All the cities on these pages are listed by state on the city frost dates index.

Where these numbers come from

NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11) supply every frost date here, unchanged from the station's record, and NOAA's documentation defines the probabilities. The Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer places Jacksonville on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 1,009,833 people here, decide which cities get a page.

University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension supply the planting rules; this page only counts them from the station's dates. The methodology page explains how each figure is checked.

NOAA's dates say how often frost has come, not when it will. Check the forecast before planting and keep a cover on hand.