West Fork climate

West Fork Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fayetteville Drake Fld, 9.7 km from West Fork, elevation 1251 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fayetteville Drake Fld. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 188 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first October 31

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 11May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
32°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 21Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 24Mar 17
24°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3
20°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18
16°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 7Jan 30

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°FSep 29Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24
32°FOct 8Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
24°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
16°FNov 15Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 23Jan 1

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°F187180175171167162158153147
32°F209202196192188183179174167
28°F233224218214209205200195188
24°F260250245240234228222217208
20°F287278271266260255250242233
16°F318307300294286281274267258

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
4,080
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,352
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,914
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,494
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,226
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,112
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,152

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January887015
February691129
March5205100
April26023245
May8697477
June5263708
July0399863
August1372835
September41161570
October24529277
November532383
December812021

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 9.7 km from West Fork. 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 USW00093993 (Fayetteville Drake Fld). Public domain.