Pine Lakes Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Deland 1 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 February 17 and the first fall freeze around December 30, a growing season of about 310 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 8, first December 11
- Median at 32°F
- last February 17, first December 30
- Median at 28°F
- last January 31, first January 10
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 | Apr 1 | Mar 26 | Mar 20 | Mar 14 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 26 | Feb 17 | Feb 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 19 | Mar 8 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 17 | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Jan 29 | Jan 14 |
| 28°F | Mar 1 | Feb 20 | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 26 | Jan 18 | Jan 9 | Dec 31 |
| 24°F | Feb 12 | Feb 1 | Jan 30 | Jan 26 | Jan 21 | Jan 16 | Jan 8 | Jan 1 | Dec 26 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 8 |
| 32°F | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 18 | Jan 31 |
| 28°F | Dec 14 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 15 | Jan 22 | Jan 31 | Feb 10 |
| 24°F | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 15 | Jan 22 | Jan 26 | Jan 31 | Feb 8 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 310 | 300 | 292 | 285 | 278 | 271 | 264 | 256 | 246 |
| 32°F | 349 | 334 | 325 | 317 | 310 | 303 | 294 | 287 | 275 |
| 28°F | 365 | 365 | 364 | 353 | 342 | 334 | 328 | 317 | 304 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 353 | 336 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
| 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
- 96% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 71% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 28% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 3% 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
- 899
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,868
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 11,097
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 9,289
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 7,517
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,829
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,263
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 273 | 21 | 247 |
| February | 181 | 34 | 287 |
| March | 114 | 69 | 424 |
| April | 27 | 152 | 575 |
| May | 2 | 304 | 767 |
| June | 0 | 445 | 895 |
| July | 0 | 513 | 978 |
| August | 0 | 513 | 978 |
| September | 0 | 428 | 878 |
| October | 12 | 260 | 713 |
| November | 87 | 87 | 452 |
| December | 203 | 41 | 322 |
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 Pine Lakes. 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 USC00082229 (Deland 1 Sse). Public domain.