Tuckerman climate

Tuckerman Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Newport, 15.7 km from Tuckerman, elevation 228 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Newport. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 240 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 25

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 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 13
32°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
28°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16
24°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31
20°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 11Feb 6Feb 1Jan 26Jan 15
16°FMar 1Feb 20Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 11Jan 1

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 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 15
32°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14
24°FNov 15Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 19Dec 25Jan 3
20°FNov 29Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14Jan 25
16°FDec 12Dec 20Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 17Jan 26Feb 6

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°F238230226220216212207202196
32°F264255249244240235230224218
28°F288280273267262258252246238
24°F316305299293286281275269259
20°F346334327319312305300292282
16°F365364356347338331323314305

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
80% 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
3,579
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,836
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,773
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,289
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,954
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,769
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,728

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January848015
February646032
March4537129
April18143327
May40173599
June1379828
July0487952
August0448913
September17239672
October17554356
November4675106
December750025

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 15.7 km from Tuckerman. 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 USC00035186 (Newport). Public domain.