Brookwood climate

Brookwood Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bankhead L&d, 22.1 km from Brookwood, elevation 280 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bankhead L&d. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 20 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 235 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 22

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 15
32°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4Feb 26
28°FMar 27Mar 19Mar 15Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11
24°FMar 17Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 23
20°FMar 5Feb 25Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 18Jan 5
16°FFeb 19Feb 8Feb 2Jan 31Jan 26Jan 21Jan 15Jan 9Dec 29

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 30
28°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 7Dec 17
24°FNov 15Nov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14Dec 25Jan 1Jan 8
20°FNov 29Dec 7Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 19Jan 30
16°FDec 13Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 21Jan 28Feb 4

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F237227220216212207202198191
32°F261251246240235229224218211
28°F294282274268262257251243233
24°F329318309301294287279271259
20°F365348339333328320312302291
16°F365365365364353344336330318

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
90% of years
16°F or colder
61% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
2,653
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,089
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,707
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,076
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,589
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,257
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,085

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January652155
February481279
March32316209
April13260385
May28203640
June1398847
July0502967
August0480945
September6316760
October10895458
November35512169
December569374

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 22.1 km from Brookwood. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00010505 (Bankhead L&d). Public domain.