Pisgah climate

Pisgah Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Scottsboro 2 Ne, 13.9 km from Pisgah, elevation 636 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Scottsboro 2 Ne. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 210 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 20, first November 8

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 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18
28°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 3
24°FMar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 11
20°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 19
16°FMar 3Feb 22Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 5

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

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°F209203198193189185181177170
32°F232224219214210206201196188
28°F258251244238233228223218209
24°F293283274269263258251244235
20°F331318308302295288280271261
16°F365348338333327319312304291

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
89% 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
3,339
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,522
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,581
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,048
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,660
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,443
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,401

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January761032
February580146
March4194137
April18530308
May51130544
June1302751
July0408873
August0391855
September19210642
October18344337
November468390
December673045

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 13.9 km from Pisgah. 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 USW00063896 (Scottsboro 2 Ne). Public domain.