Coosada climate

Coosada Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Montgomery AP, 23.2 km from Coosada, elevation 202 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Montgomery AP. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 29, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 13, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last February 27, first November 25

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

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 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Dec 1
28°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 10Dec 24
24°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 14Dec 24Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16
20°FDec 1Dec 9Dec 22Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 15Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 2

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°F244236230225220215211206198
32°F271262255249244240235229220
28°F305293284277272265259253244
24°F343329320312306299290280265
20°F365365355345338332325316301
16°F365365365365365365353344332

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
78% of years
16°F or colder
41% 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
2,000
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,540
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,726
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,010
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,413
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,961
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,666

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January526497
February35910144
March21838306
April7596473
May9277733
June0457907
July05551,020
August05421,007
September2386834
October71143540
November27724230
December4647122

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 23.2 km from Coosada. 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 USW00013895 (Montgomery AP). Public domain.