Holmes County climate

Holmes County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Geneva #2, 19.7 km from Holmes County, elevation 145 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Geneva #2. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 23, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 20

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 21Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 15
32°FApr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 6Feb 27
28°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11
24°FMar 14Mar 6Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 29Jan 17
20°FFeb 28Feb 19Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 24Jan 15Jan 6Dec 28
16°FFeb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Dec 31Dec 20

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 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 13
32°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 27
28°FNov 2Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 11
24°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 23Jan 1Jan 10
20°FNov 30Dec 4Dec 12Dec 24Dec 30Jan 2Jan 9Jan 18Feb 1
16°FDec 7Dec 22Dec 30Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 19Jan 28Feb 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°F233225218213209205201195189
32°F260250243236231227221214206
28°F292281273266259254248241232
24°F334322310304296287280271261
20°F365359348337332324315306294
16°F365365365365365361349335325

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
83% of years
16°F or colder
43% 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
2,038
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,225
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,374
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,662
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,072
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,624
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,331

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January5225102
February36810138
March22930293
April9280440
May13248701
June0408858
July0485950
August0468933
September2338786
October77124514
November28223228
December4537130

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 19.7 km from Holmes County. 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 USC00013251 (Geneva #2). Public domain.