Quitman climate

Quitman Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greenbrier, 20.8 km from Quitman, elevation 338 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenbrier. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 198 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 5

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 2Apr 28Apr 24Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8
32°FApr 24Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 23
28°FApr 13Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19Mar 13Mar 6
24°FApr 1Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23
20°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 22Feb 16Feb 7
16°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 11Feb 5Jan 30Jan 19

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 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25Oct 29
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 8
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 22
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 5
20°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 27
16°FNov 20Nov 28Dec 4Dec 11Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 20

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°F196189185182178175171167160
32°F220212206201198193189185178
28°F247239233227222217213206198
24°F275266260254248243238231222
20°F305296287280275269264258250
16°F340328318310305298290282272

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
98% 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
3,575
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,697
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,574
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,087
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,762
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,589
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,563

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January816121
February625032
March4505120
April19529299
May46133552
June2342790
July0468933
August1438902
September24231657
October19945327
November485599
December733131

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 20.8 km from Quitman. 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 USC00032962 (Greenbrier). Public domain.