Howard County climate

Howard County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Nashville, 22.1 km from Howard County, elevation 400 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Nashville. 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 9, a growing season of about 227 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 21

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 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21
32°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
28°FApr 1Mar 25Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 3Jan 27
20°FMar 5Feb 26Feb 16Feb 9Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 14Jan 1
16°FFeb 19Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 7Jan 1Dec 23

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 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13
32°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 26
28°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Jan 1
20°FNov 25Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 10Jan 21
16°FDec 6Dec 14Dec 23Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 21Feb 2

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°F227219213208204200195190183
32°F253245239232227223218212204
28°F284274267260254250243236226
24°F320308300293285279272265253
20°F358345336329321314305296283
16°F365365365362353345337328313

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
61% 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
2,822
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,195
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,667
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,067
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,614
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,318
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,177

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January688139
February513267
March34514193
April14356371
May24202643
June0410859
July05391,004
August0530995
September8329771
October11795449
November37113162
December612360

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 22.1 km from Howard County. 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 USC00035112 (Nashville). Public domain.