Your nature year
Tampa, Floridathrough the year
Also for St. Petersburg, FL, Clearwater, FL, Largo, FL, Pinellas Park, FL, Plant City, FL, Dunedin, FL, Temple Terrace, FL, Tarpon Springs, FL: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Tampa?
Crystal River Refuge, 64 miles from Tampa, is the nearest winter wildlife spot on this site, Nov 15–Mar 31 (local timing). Tampa sits close to sea level, at about 4 feet.
Expect about -8 frost-free days in Tampa: the last spring frost usually comes around Jan 20, the first fall one around Jan 12, going by NOAA's Tampa International Airport station 3.7 miles away. Spring takes about 2 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. Spring green-up reaches town around Jan 15, with first blooms around Feb 1. Within 150 miles we follow 3 places, out to Merritt Island Refuge 116 miles to the northeast.
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Tampa's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Jan 20 to ~Jan 12
- First leaf ~Jan 15
- First bloom ~Feb 1
- Today
Near Tampa right now
- First fall frost usually around Jan 12 · last spring frost around Jan 20NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Tampa International Airport (3.7 mi, 50% dates)~3 months
- Winter wildlife · Crystal River Refuge · 64 miLocal timing: Nov 15–Mar 31~7 weeks
Tampa's nature year
- Jan: Spring green-upJan
- Jan: Last spring frostJan
- Jan: First fall frostJan
- Winter wildlife · Crystal River RefugeNov–Mar
Nearby, season by season
Winter wildlife
- Crystal River Refuge · 64 miLocal timing: Nov 15–Mar 31~7 weeks
- Ding Darling Refuge · 107 miLocal timing: Jan 1–Mar 31~3 months
- Merritt Island Refuge · 116 miLocal timing: Nov 1–Apr 30~5 weeks
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Jan 20
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Jan 12
About -8 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Jan 15
First bloom around Feb 1
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Tampa International Airport (3.7 mi from Tampa), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Tampa?
On average around Jan 12, and the last spring frost around Jan 20: about -8 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Tampa International Airport, 3.7 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Tampa?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Jan 15 and first bloom around Feb 1, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see winter wildlife near Tampa?
Crystal River Refuge, 64 miles (local timing: Nov 15–Mar 31); Ding Darling Refuge, 107 miles (local timing: Jan 1–Mar 31); Merritt Island Refuge, 116 miles (local timing: Nov 1–Apr 30). Distances are straight-line.
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)