Marshall climate

Marshall Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Marshall, 2.3 km from Marshall, elevation 951 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Marshall. 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 April 11 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 197 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 6

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°FMay 8May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 8
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 25
28°FApr 16Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 9
24°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
20°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 10
16°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16Feb 10Feb 2Jan 26

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 1Oct 5Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
32°FOct 10Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 11
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 27
24°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 9Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 11

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°F196188183179175170165160153
32°F222214207203197193187182175
28°F248239233227222217212207197
24°F273264258252248243236230220
20°F300290283276270264258251242
16°F330318309303297290284276267

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
100% 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
3,952
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,460
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,146
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,705
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,412
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,272
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,290

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January882018
February685132
March5146107
April24828262
May80110496
June5278723
July0415880
August1389852
September38186599
October22044313
November4945102
December785028

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 2.3 km from Marshall. 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 USC00034666 (Marshall). Public domain.