Tuscaloosa, AL 35407 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tuscaloosa, AL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/18, about 202 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/10, about 239 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 Tuscaloosa, not a forecast for this year.
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.
Why 03/18 isn't a guarantee
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 8,748 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AL, it ranks 314 of 809.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tuscaloosa can differ from the 35407 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Tuscaloosa's frost date answer different questions.