Fort Deposit climate

Fort Deposit Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greenville Crenshaw AP, 15.8 km from Fort Deposit, elevation 451 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenville Crenshaw 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 8 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 256 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 8, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 5

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

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 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25
32°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 11
28°FNov 12Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 18Dec 31Jan 6
24°FDec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 29
20°FDec 11Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 16Jan 24Feb 2
16°FDec 24Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 16Jan 20Jan 25Feb 1

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°F256246240234228223218212206
32°F287276268262256250245239228
28°F323312304297290282275268256
24°F362347337331325316308301288
20°F365365365364355345336327316
16°F365365365365365365365358339

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
90% of years
20°F or colder
60% of years
16°F or colder
26% 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
1,952
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,364
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,601
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,887
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,276
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,798
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,492

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January5253100
February35910147
March21324295
April7282461
May5262722
June0430880
July0513978
August0521986
September2368816
October66130530
November25819232
December4514129

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 15.8 km from Fort Deposit. 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 USW00063874 (Greenville Crenshaw AP). Public domain.