Gulf Shores, AL 36542 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gulf Shores, AL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/31, roughly 156 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/06, about 340 frost-free days later.
Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 Gulf Shores, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 19 weeks of growing season left in Gulf Shores before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
01/31 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 02/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gulf Shores compares
At roughly 340 frost-free days, Gulf Shores places 2,622 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within AL, it ranks 1 of 809.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Gulf Shores's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Gulf Shores can differ from the 36542 normal.