Greensboro climate

Greensboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greensboro, 2.2 km from Greensboro, elevation 249 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greensboro. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 240 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 3, first November 24

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

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°F239230225219215210206200193
32°F267258251246240235229222214
28°F301287280273266260254248237
24°F337325315308301294284276262
20°F365361350342334327318306292
16°F365365365365365355345334324

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
83% of years
16°F or colder
50% 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
2,368
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,052
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,900
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,220
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,676
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,289
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,080

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January579169
February418298
March28016236
April11360400
May19204649
June0385835
July0484949
August0471936
September4312757
October95100474
November33414183
December526389

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 2.2 km from Greensboro. 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 USC00013511 (Greensboro). Public domain.