Corning climate

Corning Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Corning, 1.4 km from Corning, elevation 300 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Corning. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 224 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 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 23Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
32°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10
28°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27
24°FMar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 10
20°FMar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 3Jan 27
16°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 18Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 9

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 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 22
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5
24°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21
20°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16Dec 21Dec 25Dec 31Jan 8
16°FDec 5Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 14Jan 27

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°F222214209205202198194189182
32°F247238233228224219214209202
28°F273265258253247242238232224
24°F300290283277273268261254247
20°F330318311305299292285276266
16°F357344334329324316309302293

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
95% 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
3,767
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,789
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,615
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,161
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,852
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,690
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,666

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January885014
February675129
March4788124
April19446321
May44179600
June2377825
July0477942
August0425890
September23220647
October18953343
November491597
December786022

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 1.4 km from Corning. 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 USC00031632 (Corning). Public domain.