Five Points climate

Five Points Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake City 2 E, 4.9 km from Five Points, elevation 195 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake City 2 E. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 28, a growing season of about 273 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 18, first November 17
Median at 32°F
last March 1, first November 28
Median at 28°F
last February 13, first December 15

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

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°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 5
32°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 25
28°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 5Jan 14
24°FDec 5Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 8Jan 15Jan 25Feb 2
20°FDec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 23Jan 30Feb 7
16°FDec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 10Jan 12Jan 16Jan 23Feb 2Feb 7

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°F274263257252245240234227218
32°F306294285279273268262254244
28°F341331320313305298290282272
24°F365364355346338332323313302
20°F365365365365365362352341330
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
98% of years
24°F or colder
79% of years
20°F or colder
41% of years
16°F or colder
10% 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
1,489
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,319
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,982
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,218
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,534
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,969
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,553

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4108156
February27913195
March17142351
April57105499
May7268725
June0396846
July0465930
August0453918
September1350799
October39163590
November18541321
December34015204

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 4.9 km from Five Points. 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 USC00084731 (Lake City 2 E). Public domain.