Bradley Junction climate

Bradley Junction Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bartow 1SE, 17.7 km from Bradley Junction, elevation 111 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bartow 1SE. 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 January 24 and the first fall freeze around January 7, a growing season of about 352 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 6, first December 30
Median at 32°F
last January 24, first January 7
Median at 28°F
last January 19, first January 11

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°FMar 7Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Feb 2Jan 28Jan 20Jan 9
32°FFeb 20Feb 10Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 16Jan 10Jan 5Dec 27
28°FFeb 8Feb 1Jan 28Jan 24Jan 19Jan 11Jan 6Jan 1Dec 26
24°F–––––––––
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°FDec 2Dec 9Dec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 16Jan 28
32°FDec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 19Jan 27Feb 6
28°FDec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 6Jan 11Jan 18Jan 24Jan 29Feb 6
24°F–––––––––
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°F355343334326319312305295284
32°F365365365360352342335328315
28°F365365365365365365365360339
24°F365365365365365365365365365
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
95% of years
32°F or colder
65% of years
28°F or colder
23% of years
24°F or colder
3% of years
20°F or colder
0% 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
479
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,440
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,087
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,267
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,459
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,688
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,996

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January16447359
February9567395
March48132550
April7232675
May0389854
June0483933
July05351,000
August05361,001
September0473923
October4331792
November41139548
December11876429

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 17.7 km from Bradley Junction. 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 USC00080478 (Bartow 1SE). Public domain.