Coker climate

Coker Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tuscaloosa Acfd, 7.7 km from Coker, elevation 169 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tuscaloosa Acfd. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 250 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 1

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 15Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 6
32°FApr 2Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22
28°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 19Feb 13Feb 2
24°FMar 8Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 24Jan 12
20°FFeb 27Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 16Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 10Feb 3Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 15Jan 11Jan 6Dec 30

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 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 19
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 19Dec 30
24°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 6Dec 14Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 18
20°FDec 7Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 21Feb 3
16°FDec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 20Jan 29Feb 5

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°F247238232227222217213207200
32°F276267260255250245239232223
28°F308297290283277272266260249
24°F342333324317310304297289279
20°F365365355347338333326318305
16°F365365365365365359348337326

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
78% of years
16°F or colder
46% 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
2,149
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,554
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,612
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,918
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,349
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,923
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,653

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January565385
February3998121
March22934295
April74100477
May10282736
June0465915
July05691,034
August05521,017
September2384832
October77135524
November29418208
December4985105

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 7.7 km from Coker. 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 USC00018380 (Tuscaloosa Acfd). Public domain.