Butler climate

Butler Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Thomasville, 49.8 km from Butler, elevation 390 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Thomasville. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around November 21, a growing season of about 257 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 24, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 10, first November 21
Median at 28°F
last February 25, first December 4

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 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 2
32°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18
28°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 16Feb 9Jan 31
24°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 20Jan 6
20°FFeb 22Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 5Dec 27
16°FFeb 10Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Dec 31Dec 23

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 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25
32°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 10
28°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17Dec 27Jan 5
24°FNov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 25
20°FDec 10Dec 21Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 19Jan 27Feb 5
16°FDec 17Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 13Jan 18Jan 27Feb 6

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°F257249242237232226221216206
32°F286275268262257252247241233
28°F318307299292286279274264255
24°F354342334326319312306296284
20°F365365365357349340334326313
16°F365365365365365365365352336

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
68% of years
16°F or colder
31% 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
2,069
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,385
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,515
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,812
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,223
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,779
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,497

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January534494
February3808133
March23036299
April9098461
May11270724
June0428877
July0513978
August0504969
September2361810
October73132526
November27224237
December4767116

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 49.8 km from Butler. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00018178 (Thomasville). Public domain.