Jay climate

Jay Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brewton 3 Sse, 14.9 km from Jay, elevation 85 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brewton 3 Sse. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 26, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 10, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 5
32°FApr 1Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 17
28°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10Feb 3Jan 27
24°FMar 2Feb 24Feb 16Feb 9Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 13Dec 31
20°FFeb 19Feb 9Feb 2Jan 30Jan 22Jan 16Jan 10Jan 2Dec 23
16°FFeb 5Jan 31Jan 24Jan 14Jan 10Jan 4Jan 1Dec 27Dec 16

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 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 21
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1Dec 7
28°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 11Dec 27Jan 5
24°FNov 21Dec 1Dec 4Dec 12Dec 24Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15Feb 2
20°FDec 4Dec 15Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 17Jan 29Feb 7
16°FDec 13Dec 24Dec 31Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 16Jan 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°F249241234229223218213207198
32°F279270263257251245239233223
28°F325309302293285278271262251
24°F365351339332324316307296284
20°F365365365365361348338330316
16°F365365365365365365365365348

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
90% of years
20°F or colder
52% of years
16°F or colder
18% 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
1,758
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,606
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,012
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,266
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,625
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,123
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,778

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January45012142
February32216168
March19049341
April75112490
May8294750
June0459909
July05391,004
August0530995
September2389837
October64160563
November25134263
December39714165

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 14.9 km from Jay. 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 USC00011084 (Brewton 3 Sse). Public domain.