Opelika, AL 36872 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Opelika, AL, ZIP 36872
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/13, about 197 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/17, about 246 frost-free days later.
Opelika sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8b around Opelika has about 12 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.
The actual range around Opelika's last frost
03/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Opelika compares
About 246 days separate Opelika's last and first frost, putting it 7,915 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AL, it ranks 237 of 809.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Opelika can differ from the 36872 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8b and Opelika's frost date answer different questions.