Point Clear climate

Point Clear Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fairhope 2 Ne, 8.9 km from Point Clear, elevation 23 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fairhope 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 March 10 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 10, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last February 26, first December 1

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 13Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 5
32°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20
28°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31
24°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 19Jan 7
20°FFeb 28Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 7Dec 29
16°FFeb 12Feb 2Jan 30Jan 23Jan 18Jan 14Jan 8Jan 4Dec 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 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 6
28°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 20Jan 1
24°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 15Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 21
20°FDec 7Dec 20Dec 28Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 18Jan 26Feb 4
16°FDec 21Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 12Jan 16Jan 21Jan 28Feb 6

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°F251242236231226221216211203
32°F278269262258253248241235227
28°F315302294286279274268261252
24°F350338330323314307300291279
20°F365365364354345335329320306
16°F365365365365365365363351334

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
95% of years
20°F or colder
69% of years
16°F or colder
33% 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
1,887
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,223
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,513
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,786
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,165
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,686
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,363

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4944112
February3557141
March21726295
April7976448
May8246702
June0403853
July0476941
August0467932
September1345793
October62136541
November24927259
December42210148

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 8.9 km from Point Clear. 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 USC00012813 (Fairhope 2 Ne). Public domain.