Daleville climate

Daleville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Enterprise 4 W, 17.8 km from Daleville, elevation 337 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Enterprise 4 W. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around November 21, a growing season of about 260 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 24, first November 10
Median at 32°F
last March 9, first November 21
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 6

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

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 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 28
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 14
28°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21Dec 31Jan 6
24°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 29
20°FDec 9Dec 22Dec 30Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 28Feb 6
16°FDec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 15Jan 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°F259251243237232228222216208
32°F290279272266260253248240232
28°F327312304297289283276268257
24°F364350338331323315307300286
20°F365365365363353344336328315
16°F365365365365365365365353336

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
93% of years
20°F or colder
64% of years
16°F or colder
29% 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
1,831
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,395
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,741
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,007
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,373
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,882
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,548

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4915109
February3418149
March20738318
April7494472
May9277733
June0427877
July0501966
August0490955
September1363811
October51156572
November23432273
December4225138

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 17.8 km from Daleville. 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 USC00012675 (Enterprise 4 W). Public domain.