Columbus, GA frost dates
From NOAA weather station Columbus Metro AP (USW00093842), elevation 392 ft. The station is named for Columbus, and its coordinates are 3.9 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Columbus city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Columbus Metro AP is Mar 5 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 23, for a typical freeze-free season of 265 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Mar 24, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Nov 7. The station averages 28 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 16 days earlier than the state median (Mar 21), the median first freeze is 11 days later than the state median (Nov 12), and the growing season ranks #15 of 126 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 41 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) | Mar 1 | Mar 20 | Apr 7 | Oct 31 | Nov 12 | Dec 1 | 214 / 236 / 262 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 11 | Mar 5 | Mar 24 | Nov 7 | Nov 23 | Dec 18 | 238 / 265 / 295 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Jan 25 | Feb 21 | Mar 14 | Nov 19 | Dec 12 | Jan 13 | 264 / 298 / 334 |
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 Columbus
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.
Nearby stations
- Columbus #2, GA — 0 mi; median last freeze Mar 21, first freeze Nov 11
- Mulberry Grove, GA — 10 mi; median last freeze Mar 21, first freeze Nov 18
- Ft Benning Lawson Fld, GA — 12 mi; median last freeze Mar 26, first freeze Nov 8
- Talbotton, GA — 27 mi; median last freeze Apr 1, first freeze Nov 3
- W Pt, GA — 29 mi; median last freeze Mar 26, first freeze Nov 9
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00093842 · Latitude 32.5161, longitude -84.9422 · Elevation 120 m (392 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 28.
- Source file: USW00093842.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 03/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/05 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 02/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 11/07 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/23 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/18 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 295.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 265.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 238.0 |