Tuscaloosa, AL 35403 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tuscaloosa, AL?
Around 03/18 is the usual last spring frost, about 202 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/10, about 239 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tuscaloosa in Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Tuscaloosa before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Tuscaloosa's last frost
03/18 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. 04/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tuscaloosa compares
About 239 days separate Tuscaloosa's last and first frost, putting it 8,744 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AL, it ranks 310 of 809.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tuscaloosa can differ from the 35403 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Tuscaloosa's frost date answer different questions.