McIntosh, AL 36553 Frost Dates
When can you plant in McIntosh, AL?
Around 03/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 210 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/08, about 228 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 McIntosh, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in McIntosh before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/26 isn't a guarantee
03/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How McIntosh compares
At roughly 228 frost-free days, McIntosh places 10,925 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within AL, it ranks 578 of 809.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around McIntosh's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in McIntosh can differ from the 36553 normal.