Bearden climate

Bearden Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fordyce, 22.8 km from Bearden, elevation 230 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fordyce. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 19

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 24Apr 19Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 6
28°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31
20°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 20Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 11
16°FFeb 22Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 6Dec 30

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 15Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 12
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 24
28°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 3Dec 8
24°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Dec 29
20°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16
16°FDec 11Dec 22Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 15Jan 21Feb 1

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°F225219213208203199194189181
32°F251243236231226222217211201
28°F277269262257252247241235228
24°F312302295288281276270261252
20°F349336330323315308302293280
16°F365365364356347340334325311

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
73% 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
3,091
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,918
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,180
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,621
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,213
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,957
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,857

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January728135
February555257
March38311170
April16149349
May31178612
June1370819
July0488953
August0466931
September13274711
October14970394
November4129134
December659249

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 22.8 km from Bearden. 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 USC00032540 (Fordyce). Public domain.