Tampa, FL 33603 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tampa, FL?
Around 01/20 is the usual last spring frost, about 145 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/12, about 365 frost-free days later.
Tampa sits in USDA Zone 10a (30 to 35°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 20 weeks of growing season left in Tampa before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/20 isn't a guarantee
01/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tampa compares
At roughly 365 frost-free days, Tampa places 63 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within FL, it ranks 25 of 1,609.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tampa can differ from the 33603 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 10a and Tampa's frost date answer different questions.