Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Muscle Shoals, AL, ZIP 35661
Around 03/30 is the usual last spring frost, about 214 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/03, about 220 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 Muscle Shoals, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8a around Muscle Shoals has about 10 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 03/30 isn't a guarantee
03/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Muscle Shoals compares
Muscle Shoals's growing season runs about 220 days, ranking 12,751 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AL, it ranks 629 of 809.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Muscle Shoals can differ from the 35661 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8a and Muscle Shoals's frost date answer different questions.