Alto, GA frost dates
From NOAA weather station Alto 4 SE (USC00090236), elevation 918 ft. The station is named for Alto, and its coordinates are 3.6 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Alto town.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Alto 4 SE is Apr 4 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 4, for a typical freeze-free season of 216 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 19, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 23. The station averages 80 nights per year with a low of 32°F or colder.
Compared with the median of 126 Georgia stations in this dataset, the median last freeze here is 14 days later than the state median (Mar 21), the median first freeze is 8 days earlier than the state median (Nov 12), and the growing season ranks #106 of 126 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 32 days, a measure of how variable spring is here.
Freeze probability table
| Threshold | Last spring occurrence | First fall occurrence | Season length (days) 90% / 50% / 10% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early (90% chance of a later freeze) | Median (50%) | Cautious (10% chance of a later freeze) | Early (10% chance by then) | Median (50%) | Late (90% chance by then) | ||
| 36°F (light frost possible) | Apr 2 | Apr 17 | May 4 | Oct 16 | Oct 27 | Nov 8 | 173 / 194 / 213 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 18 | Apr 4 | Apr 19 | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | Nov 19 | 196 / 216 / 238 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 1 | Mar 22 | Apr 7 | Nov 1 | Nov 15 | Dec 3 | 218 / 241 / 269 |
Read the spring “Cautious” column as the safer planting date: only about 1 year in 10 has a freeze after it. NOAA computes these from daily minimum temperatures at the station; your yard can differ, especially in low spots or at a different elevation.
Planting calendar for Alto
Pick how much frost risk you accept. The calendar applies generic, extension-published timing rules to this station’s dates. See the rules and sources.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Plant outdoors (spring) | Latest fall planting (est.) | Days to harvest |
|---|
Fall estimates count back from the median first fall freeze (32°F for tender crops, 28°F hard freeze for cool-season crops) by the longer days-to-harvest figure. These are rough planning aids, not recommendations for any specific variety; check seed packets and your county extension office.
Towns that use this station as their nearest
Census places within 15 miles whose closest station in this dataset is Alto 4 SE: Alto (4 mi), Raoul (5 mi), Lula (9 mi).
Nearby stations
- Cornelia, GA — 5 mi; median last freeze Mar 30, first freeze Nov 6
- Clarkesville, GA — 12 mi; median last freeze Apr 11, first freeze Oct 26
- Commerce 4 NNW, GA — 12 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 6
- Toccoa, GA — 14 mi; median last freeze Mar 23, first freeze Nov 11
- Cleveland, GA — 17 mi; median last freeze Apr 14, first freeze Oct 25
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00090236 · Latitude 34.4417, longitude -83.5161 · Elevation 280 m (918 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 18.
- Source file: USC00090236.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/19 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/04 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/19 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 238.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 216.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 196.0 |