Exeter climate

Exeter Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lindsay, 13 km from Exeter, elevation 435 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lindsay. 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 February 20 and the first fall freeze around November 30, a growing season of about 284 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 15
Median at 32°F
last February 20, first November 30
Median at 28°F
last January 20, first December 14

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 26Apr 16Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 22Mar 13Mar 2Feb 24
32°FMar 26Mar 11Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 20
28°FFeb 18Feb 8Feb 2Jan 29Jan 20Jan 14Jan 5Dec 31Dec 25
24°FJan 31Jan 19Jan 11Jan 4Dec 31Dec 29Dec 27Dec 23Dec 15
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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 27Nov 1Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30
32°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 21
28°FNov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 28Jan 5Jan 17
24°FDec 8Dec 13Dec 16Dec 21Dec 25Dec 29Jan 1Jan 7Jan 16
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F267255244236230223215207195
32°F320308299291284276268259243
28°F365356346339334329322313302
24°F365365365365365365361352342
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
86% of years
24°F or colder
35% of years
20°F or colder
3% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
2,448
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,699
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,388
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,645
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,071
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,722
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,606

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January556029
February384081
March2764209
April15928322
May55132543
June7286729
July0476941
August0433897
September6273717
October9265439
November3452138
December569027

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 13 km from Exeter. 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 USC00044957 (Lindsay). Public domain.