Watkinsville, GA frost dates
From NOAA weather station Watkinsville 5 SSE (USW00063850), elevation 741 ft. The station is named for Watkinsville, and its coordinates are 5.3 miles from the Census Bureau’s internal point for Watkinsville city.
Summary
In the 1991–2020 record, the median last spring freeze (32°F) at Watkinsville 5 SSE is Mar 24 and the median first fall freeze is Nov 12, for a typical freeze-free season of 234 days. In about 1 year in 10 the last spring freeze comes after Apr 12, and in about 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives by Oct 31. The station averages 45 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 3 days later than the state median (Mar 21), the median first freeze is the same day as the state median (Nov 12), and the growing season ranks #70 of 126 by length (longest = #1). The spread between the 90% and 10% spring dates is 42 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 20 | Apr 7 | Apr 22 | Oct 18 | Nov 1 | Nov 16 | 187 / 208 / 231 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 1 | Mar 24 | Apr 12 | Oct 31 | Nov 12 | Dec 2 | 207 / 234 / 263 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | Feb 6 | Mar 5 | Mar 28 | Nov 10 | Nov 28 | Dec 25 | 238 / 267 / 301 |
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 Watkinsville
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 Watkinsville 5 SSE: Bishop (4 mi), Watkinsville (5 mi), Bostwick (8 mi), Buckhead (15 mi), Madison (15 mi).
Nearby stations
- U Of GA Plt Sci, GA — 10 mi; median last freeze Mar 27, first freeze Nov 8
- Athens Ben Epps AP, GA — 12 mi; median last freeze Mar 23, first freeze Nov 10
- Winterville, GA — 14 mi; median last freeze Apr 2, first freeze Nov 2
- Lexington, GA — 17 mi; median last freeze Mar 31, first freeze Nov 6
- Winder 4S, GA — 22 mi; median last freeze Apr 3, first freeze Nov 7
About this station’s data
- Station ID: USW00063850 · Latitude 33.7836, longitude -83.3897 · Elevation 226 m (741 ft)
- NOAA completeness flag: R — Representative: meets WMO standards for 10 or more years; gaps filled from surrounding stations. Years of data used: 17.
- Source file: USW00063850.csv (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 annual/seasonal normals).
Raw values from the NOAA file (32°F)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP10 | 04/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 | 03/24 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP90 | 03/01 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP10 | 10/31 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 | 11/12 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP90 | 12/02 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP10 | 263.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP50 | 234.0 |
ANN-TMIN-PRBGSL-T32FP90 | 207.0 |