Pine Level climate

Pine Level Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Clanton, 28.9 km from Pine Level, elevation 590 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Clanton. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 233 days.

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

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°F231224218213209205201196189
32°F260251244238233227223216209
28°F289280273267261254249242233
24°F326313305298291285276268257
20°F361346337330323315307301288
16°F365365365361350342334327314

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
90% of years
16°F or colder
64% 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
2,622
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,977
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,621
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,987
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,493
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,154
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,980

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January636158
February468385
March30718224
April13059386
May24202643
June0372822
July0474939
August0453918
September6300744
October11783437
November36510160
December569276

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 28.9 km from Pine Level. 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 USC00011694 (Clanton). Public domain.