Long Neck climate

Long Neck Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lewes, 18.3 km from Long Neck, elevation 10 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lewes. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 28

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 25Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27
32°FApr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 13
28°FMar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28
24°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 10
20°FMar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24
16°FMar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 30Jan 26Jan 18Jan 9

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 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16
32°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20
24°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Dec 30Jan 5
20°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 14Jan 24
16°FDec 21Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 20Jan 27Feb 4

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°F225219214211207202198194186
32°F253245240235231228224219213
28°F284273267261256252246240233
24°F310301295289284279273266256
20°F340330322315310306300294286
16°F365361348339334328321313304

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
86% 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
3,823
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,506
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,170
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,711
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,422
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,293
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,320

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January831019
February700018
March581365
April28726221
May94103475
June7294736
July0439904
August0383848
September13213649
October17042343
November4414113
December699032

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 18.3 km from Long Neck. 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 USC00075320 (Lewes). Public domain.