Camden climate

Camden Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Camden 1, 1.1 km from Camden, elevation 116 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Camden 1. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 21, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 6, 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 21Apr 17Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 16
32°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2
28°FMar 26Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
24°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 10Feb 2Jan 28
20°FMar 2Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 15Jan 3
16°FFeb 16Feb 6Jan 31Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 10Jan 3Dec 28

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 16Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 25
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 22Jan 1
20°FNov 25Dec 2Dec 10Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 10Jan 21
16°FDec 9Dec 22Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 23Feb 3

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°F229222217212208203199193185
32°F258247241236230226221215207
28°F283274268262257252247240232
24°F322309301293286279273265255
20°F357346336330323313306298286
16°F365365365365356347337330317

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
94% of years
16°F or colder
63% 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
2,950
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,036
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,412
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,832
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,402
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,122
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,996

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January706139
February532261
March35113193
April14556370
May25194634
June0393843
July0512976
August0491956
September11287726
October14075408
November40010144
December639252

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 1.1 km from Camden. 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 USC00031152 (Camden 1). Public domain.