Taylor climate

Taylor Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Dothan Rgnl AP, 17.5 km from Taylor, elevation 370 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Dothan Rgnl 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 24, a growing season of about 270 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 15, first November 12
Median at 32°F
last March 1, first November 24
Median at 28°F
last February 12, first December 16

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 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 23
32°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12Feb 3
28°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 27Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 14
24°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 17Jan 9Dec 30
20°FFeb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 8Jan 4Dec 30
16°FFeb 1Jan 30Jan 25Jan 22Jan 18Jan 15Jan 10Jan 7Jan 3

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 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Dec 1
32°FNov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 24
28°FNov 17Nov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 16Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 17
24°FDec 2Dec 13Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 8Jan 14Jan 21Feb 3
20°FDec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 6Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 25Feb 3
16°FJan 2Jan 5Jan 8Jan 11Jan 15Jan 18Jan 22Jan 25Jan 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°F269259253247242237232225219
32°F303291284277270264257250240
28°F339328320311304298289280267
24°F365365356344337331323312302
20°F365365365365365363354341330
16°F365365365365365365365365360

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
96% of years
24°F or colder
81% of years
20°F or colder
43% of years
16°F or colder
11% 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
1,633
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,686
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,209
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,452
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,792
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,266
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,890

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4519137
February30714174
March17445348
April50118519
May4332793
June0482931
July05581,023
August0527992
September1387835
October46165585
November21734284
December38415171

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 17.5 km from Taylor. 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 USW00013839 (Dothan Rgnl AP). Public domain.