NOAA station USC00018323 · Alabama
Frost Dates for Troy, AL
NOAA weather station Troy (USC00018323), Alabama · elevation 542 ft (165 m) · hardiness zone 8b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter March 30only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 1050% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 2150% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season257 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone8bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | March 30 | November 4 |
| 50% (typical) | March 10 | November 21 |
| 90% (likely) | February 15 | December 14 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 257 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- February 24
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- December 7
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 4 (6 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 20 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 260 days.
A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.
Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).
How the chance of frost changes with the date
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | February 21 | January 3 |
| 2022 | incomplete record | November 18 |
| 2023 | March 21 | November 29 |
| 2024 | February 19 | November 29 |
| 2025 | incomplete record | November 11 |
| 2026 | March 19 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
March 30 is the cautious spring date in Troy; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day, gardeners can plan to set out tender crops knowing the risk is low.
The 50 % dates, March 10 for spring and November 21 for fall, each represent an even odds point for a light frost—half of the recorded years saw a frost later than March 10 and half saw a frost earlier than November 21. For a conservative schedule, the cautious spring date is March 30 and the cautious fall date is November 4, each carrying a 10 % chance of a light frost that would affect tender crops. The hard-frost median dates are February 24 in spring and December 7 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can injure plant tissue that would survive a 32 °F light frost, making it a greater concern.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after March 30" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
- Fall: "10% before November 4" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
- 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
- A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.
Nearby weather stations
- Greenville, AL 37 mi (60 km)
- Montgomery, AL 43 mi (68 km)
- near Geneva, AL 53 mi (86 km)
- Evergreen, AL 63 mi (101 km)
- Cuthbert, GA 69 mi (112 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00018323
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00018323
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 31.8075, -85.9722.