Helena, AL 35080 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Helena, AL?
Around 03/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 203 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/08, about 236 frost-free days later.
Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Helena, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Helena before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Helena's last frost
03/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Helena compares
About 236 days separate Helena's last and first frost, putting it 9,325 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AL, it ranks 370 of 809.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Helena can differ from the 35080 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Helena's frost date answer different questions.