Pisgah climate

Pisgah Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Troy Muni AP, 18.2 km from Pisgah, elevation 397 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Troy Muni AP. 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 10, a growing season of about 236 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 21

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 20Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 15
32°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 24
28°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 15Feb 3
24°FMar 11Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 13
20°FFeb 27Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 16Jan 9Dec 29
16°FFeb 12Feb 4Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 11Jan 5Dec 27

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 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 29
28°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 20
24°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 19Dec 28Jan 4Jan 15
20°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 17Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 15Dec 30Jan 3Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 23Jan 29Feb 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°F235226220215210205201196188
32°F266255248241236231226219209
28°F300287279272266260254248239
24°F338326317309303296287277265
20°F365364351342334327321312302
16°F365365365365365358348338330

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
81% of years
16°F or colder
45% 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
2,180
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,133
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,146
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,446
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,883
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,464
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,208

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January542394
February3887123
March24827272
April9769424
May16219668
June0393843
July0487952
August0473938
September3327774
October91106484
November30917196
December4865117

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 18.2 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 USW00003878 (Troy Muni AP). Public domain.