Freezes
Does Polk County have Freezes? When are they?
Polk County does have Freezes.
Depending on where you live in Polk County (1), on average there can be up to 3 or 4 freezes per year. We do not have direct data for each location in Polk County but the following table shows data for both Orlando (to the east) and Tampa (to the west). Polk County's weather is between these two.
| City | Date of Earliest Freeze | Approximate Start of Freezing Temperature Season | Approximate End of Freezing Temperature Season | Date of Latest Freeze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | November 24 | December 11 | February 19 | March 2 |
| Tampa | November 16 | December 11 | February 28 | March 4 |
The table (2) above shows that most freezes (temperatures below 32 degrees F. for some period of time) occur between mid-December and mid-February. However, once in a great while a freeze will occur in late November or early March. Generally speaking, plants can be protected by watering well on the morning of the day the freeze is predicted and then covering the plants with an old sheet or other cloth cover. You can also buy frost cloth in some stores.
Polk County does sometimes also have serious freezes. These seem to occur in clusters with about 20 years between clusters. During these freezes the temperatures drops into the low twenties or high teens for a couple of days. Several of these freezes happened in the 1980s (in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989). Two freezes occurred in 1989: on February 24 and 25; and then again in the next winter on December 22 to 25. The December 1989 freeze was the last serious freeze in Polk County (3). In such a serious freeze many, if not most, cold sensitive plants will be frozen. Some will come back from the roots; others may need to be replaced.
