Helen, GA frost dates
From NOAA weather station Helen (USC00094230), elevation 1,493 ft. The station is named for Helen, and its coordinates are 0.6 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Helen city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Helen is Apr 11 and the median first fall freeze is Oct 28, for a typical freeze-free season of 197 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after May 3, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 13. 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 21 days later than the state median (Mar 21), the median first freeze is 15 days earlier than the state median (Nov 12), and the growing season ranks #123 of 126 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 39 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 9 | Apr 26 | May 13 | Oct 3 | Oct 18 | Nov 1 | 153 / 174 / 197 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 25 | Apr 11 | May 3 | Oct 13 | Oct 28 | Nov 10 | 172 / 197 / 218 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Mar 7 | Mar 30 | Apr 19 | Oct 22 | Nov 7 | Nov 27 | 198 / 223 / 251 |
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 Helen
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 Helen: Helen (1 mi), Sautee-Nacoochee (3 mi).
Nearby stations
- Sautee 3W, GA — 2 mi; median last freeze Apr 7, first freeze Nov 1
- Cleveland, GA — 8 mi; median last freeze Apr 14, first freeze Oct 25
- Clarkesville, GA — 12 mi; median last freeze Apr 11, first freeze Oct 26
- Blairsville EXP Stn, GA — 16 mi; median last freeze Apr 26, first freeze Oct 19
- Cornelia, GA — 17 mi; median last freeze Mar 30, first freeze Nov 6
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00094230 · Latitude 34.6997, longitude -83.7261 · Elevation 455 m (1,493 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: S — Standard: meets WMO data-availability standards for 24 or more years. Years of data used: 26.
- Source file: USC00094230.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 05/03 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 04/11 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/25 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/13 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 10/28 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/10 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 218.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 197.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 172.0 |