Rainsville climate

Rainsville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Payne, 12.9 km from Rainsville, elevation 917 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Payne. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 225 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 20

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 26Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 24
32°FApr 16Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 7
28°FApr 5Mar 29Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 26Feb 18
24°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 14Feb 7Jan 28
20°FMar 9Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 21Jan 11
16°FFeb 25Feb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 17Jan 11Jan 2

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 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13
32°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21Nov 29
28°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 12
24°FNov 15Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25Jan 1
20°FNov 27Dec 6Dec 13Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 3Jan 10Jan 18
16°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 15Jan 21Jan 31

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°F226218212208203197192187180
32°F256244236230225220215209201
28°F285273267260254248240234224
24°F317305298290284277271263253
20°F347336329321315308302292279
16°F365363353345338334328319305

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
81% 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
2,922
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,940
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,355
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,771
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,326
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,028
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,900

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January718042
February530262
March35910184
April15853359
May38183611
June1365814
July0477942
August0456921
September9301742
October11684439
November3788150
December616160

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 12.9 km from Rainsville. 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 USC00013043 (Ft Payne). Public domain.