Pell City climate

Pell City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Talladega, 23.5 km from Pell City, elevation 448 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Talladega. 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 April 5 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 10

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°FMay 3Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 1
32°FApr 22Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 19
28°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 2
24°FApr 1Mar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21Feb 11
20°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 3Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 19
16°FMar 5Feb 22Feb 14Feb 8Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 15Jan 4

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 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4
32°FOct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
28°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
24°FNov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 21
20°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Dec 28Jan 4Jan 15
16°FDec 2Dec 9Dec 22Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 20Feb 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°F207199195190185181176172166
32°F230221215212208203199194186
28°F259249242236231226221215207
24°F293283275266261254247239230
20°F333318309303295288280272262
16°F365354343334330324314305293

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
98% of years
16°F or colder
87% 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
3,013
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,743
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,061
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,483
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,053
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,782
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,678

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January701044
February532160
March3758170
April17137329
May39158585
June1337786
July0450914
August0423888
September10258697
October15163387
November4127131
December622261

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 23.5 km from Pell City. 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 USC00018024 (Talladega). Public domain.