McDonough, GA frost dates
From NOAA weather station Mcdonough 5 ENE (USC00095666), elevation 708 ft. The station is named for McDonough, and its coordinates are 7.2 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for McDonough city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Mcdonough 5 ENE is Mar 31 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 6, for a typical freeze-free season of 220 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 16, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 24. The station averages 68 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 10 days later than the state median (Mar 21), the median first freeze is 6 days earlier than the state median (Nov 12), and the growing season ranks #98 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) | Mar 25 | Apr 11 | Apr 28 | Oct 16 | Oct 27 | Nov 10 | 178 / 199 / 219 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 8 | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | Oct 24 | Nov 6 | Nov 24 | 198 / 220 / 245 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 20 | Mar 16 | Apr 4 | Nov 1 | Nov 17 | Dec 7 | 220 / 247 / 276 |
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 McDonough
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 Mcdonough 5 ENE: McDonough (7 mi), Locust Grove (10 mi), Jenkinsburg (11 mi), Jackson (13 mi).
Nearby stations
- Covington, GA — 14 mi; median last freeze Mar 22, first freeze Nov 14
- Jonesboro, GA — 19 mi; median last freeze Mar 25, first freeze Nov 12
- Experiment, GA — 21 mi; median last freeze Mar 20, first freeze Nov 13
- Monticello, GA — 22 mi; median last freeze Apr 4, first freeze Nov 1
- Atlanta Hartsfield Intl AP, GA — 26 mi; median last freeze Mar 15, first freeze Nov 20
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USC00095666 · Latitude 33.4769, longitude -84.0336 · Elevation 216 m (708 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 12.
- Source file: USC00095666.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/16 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/08 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/06 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 11/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 245.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 220.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 198.0 |