Brookside climate

Brookside Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Newark Ag Farm, 1.6 km from Brookside, elevation 106 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Newark Ag Farm. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 13

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 9May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 8
32°FApr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
24°FMar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Feb 27
20°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15
16°FMar 12Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Jan 31

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 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4
32°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
28°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
24°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18
20°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Dec 31Jan 7
16°FDec 8Dec 17Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 23

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°F202195191187183178174168161
32°F228221216212208205201196190
28°F255247241236231228225220213
24°F283275268263258253248242235
20°F310302297290285281276268258
16°F333324318313308304298293284

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
99% 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
4,591
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,234
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,385
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,048
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,866
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,841
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,963

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96704
February82603
March667132
April32914178
May11980428
June11240679
July0387852
August1334798
September37154567
October25123254
November559161
December825010

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 1.6 km from Brookside. 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 USC00076410 (Newark Ag Farm). Public domain.