Pike Road climate

Pike Road Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Montgomery 6SW, 11.1 km from Pike Road, elevation 225 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Montgomery 6SW. 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 4 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 262 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 17, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 4, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 17, first December 4

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 7Apr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 25
32°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 9
28°FMar 14Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 24
24°FFeb 27Feb 17Feb 8Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 13Jan 3
20°FFeb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 23Jan 17Jan 13Jan 7Jan 1Dec 21
16°FFeb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 17Jan 14Jan 10Jan 6Jan 1Dec 22

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 22Oct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 27
32°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 10
28°FNov 10Nov 18Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16Dec 27Jan 4
24°FNov 24Dec 2Dec 8Dec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 15Jan 28
20°FDec 4Dec 15Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 14Jan 20Jan 31
16°FDec 17Dec 31Jan 3Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 19Jan 25Feb 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°F262252246240233228223215208
32°F293282274267262255249243234
28°F329316307298292285278269259
24°F365350342334329321312303290
20°F365365365365359350341333323
16°F365365365365365365365360343

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
91% of years
20°F or colder
61% 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
1,755
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,847
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,261
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,523
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,886
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,384
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,029

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4708132
February31919176
March18154353
April55128525
May6324783
June0495945
July06061,071
August05831,048
September2422870
October62166570
November24231263
December41912152

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 11.1 km from Pike Road. 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 USC00015553 (Montgomery 6SW). Public domain.