Smoke Rise climate

Smoke Rise Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hanceville, 19.7 km from Smoke Rise, elevation 590 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hanceville. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 205 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 6

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°FMay 3Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3
32°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25Mar 17
28°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 2
24°FMar 29Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 15
20°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 28
16°FMar 2Feb 23Feb 15Feb 9Feb 3Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 7

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 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1
32°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
28°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 23
24°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 9
20°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 16Dec 25Jan 2
16°FNov 26Dec 4Dec 11Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 28

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°F206199194189185181177171165
32°F228220214209205201196190183
28°F254246240233229224219213205
24°F283274267261257251245238230
20°F320307299292284278272265256
16°F353340332325318311304296283

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
94% 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
3,420
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,442
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,437
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,919
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,556
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,349
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,313

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January766030
February600039
March4264140
April20423286
May59112519
June1273721
July0394859
August0374839
September17221654
October18640335
November469398
December693037

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 19.7 km from Smoke Rise. 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 USC00013655 (Hanceville). Public domain.