Eastpoint Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Apalachicola Airport. 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 December 13, a growing season of about 299 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 4, first November 27
- Median at 32°F
- last February 20, first December 13
- Median at 28°F
- last February 5, first January 1
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 12 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 20 | Feb 14 | Feb 8 | Jan 31 | Jan 20 |
| 28°F | Mar 1 | Feb 22 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 15 | Jan 1 |
| 24°F | Feb 18 | Feb 9 | Feb 4 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 19 | Jan 12 | Jan 4 | Dec 27 |
| 20°F | Feb 15 | Feb 8 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 22 | Jan 17 | Jan 9 | Jan 3 | Dec 28 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 6 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 | Dec 28 |
| 32°F | Nov 17 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 16 |
| 28°F | Dec 1 | Dec 7 | Dec 18 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 13 | Jan 20 | Feb 3 |
| 24°F | Dec 10 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 15 | Jan 20 | Jan 29 | Feb 7 |
| 20°F | Dec 19 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 21 | Jan 29 | Feb 6 | Feb 12 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 303 | 291 | 283 | 276 | 269 | 262 | 256 | 249 | 240 |
| 32°F | 334 | 322 | 312 | 306 | 299 | 292 | 283 | 275 | 264 |
| 28°F | 365 | 355 | 342 | 334 | 326 | 319 | 311 | 303 | 292 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 361 | 351 | 339 | 330 | 319 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 361 | 341 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
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
- 98% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 85% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 53% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 22% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 4% 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
- 1,220
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,846
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 10,762
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,967
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 7,229
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,600
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,126
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 353 | 8 | 179 |
| February | 246 | 10 | 207 |
| March | 141 | 40 | 370 |
| April | 37 | 112 | 525 |
| May | 1 | 318 | 781 |
| June | 0 | 481 | 931 |
| July | 0 | 560 | 1,025 |
| August | 0 | 546 | 1,011 |
| September | 0 | 446 | 895 |
| October | 22 | 242 | 686 |
| November | 137 | 65 | 384 |
| December | 282 | 21 | 236 |
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 13.8 km from Eastpoint. 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 USC00080211 (Apalachicola Airport). Public domain.