Fayette County climate

Fayette County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fayette, 7.2 km from Fayette County, elevation 357 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fayette. 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 9, a growing season of about 234 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 5, 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 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16
32°FApr 9Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27
28°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 8
24°FMar 14Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 21
20°FMar 4Feb 23Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 11Dec 31
16°FFeb 15Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 11Jan 4Dec 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 18Oct 21Oct 25Oct 27Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 13
32°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 30
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 16
24°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 23Jan 1Jan 7
20°FNov 30Dec 6Dec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 17Jan 30
16°FDec 11Dec 22Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 11Jan 18Jan 25Feb 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°F233224218213208204200194187
32°F261251245239234228223216207
28°F295284276269262257251245235
24°F332319309302295288283272262
20°F365355345337331322313304292
16°F365365365365361351342334320

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
88% of years
16°F or colder
55% 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
2,639
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,061
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,678
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,043
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,555
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,221
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,056

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January637256
February472381
March31420218
April13067393
May22203646
June1392841
July0504969
August0467931
September6303747
October12086437
November37011160
December568475

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 7.2 km from Fayette County. 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 USC00012883 (Fayette). Public domain.