Starke Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Starke. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around December 24, a growing season of about 313 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 1, first December 2
- Median at 32°F
- last February 8, first December 24
- Median at 28°F
- last January 23, first January 4
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 22 | Mar 16 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 10 | Feb 2 |
| 32°F | Mar 8 | Feb 28 | Feb 22 | Feb 15 | Feb 8 | Feb 3 | Jan 28 | Jan 18 | Jan 6 |
| 28°F | Feb 20 | Feb 11 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 23 | Jan 15 | Jan 7 | Jan 2 | Dec 26 |
| 24°F | Feb 15 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 22 | Jan 10 | Jan 5 | Jan 1 | Dec 29 | Dec 22 |
| 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 9 | Nov 17 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 20 | Jan 1 |
| 32°F | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 30 |
| 28°F | Dec 7 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 19 | Jan 30 | Feb 9 |
| 24°F | Dec 12 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 25 | Feb 1 | Feb 10 |
| 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 | 314 | 302 | 294 | 287 | 279 | 273 | 265 | 256 | 245 |
| 32°F | 352 | 338 | 329 | 320 | 313 | 306 | 300 | 291 | 279 |
| 28°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 349 | 338 | 330 | 320 | 307 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 356 | 335 |
| 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
- 94% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 63% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 24% 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
- 963
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 3,157
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 11,325
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 9,521
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 7,759
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 6,083
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,539
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 281 | 27 | 250 |
| February | 192 | 31 | 274 |
| March | 106 | 81 | 445 |
| April | 30 | 178 | 599 |
| May | 2 | 358 | 822 |
| June | 0 | 515 | 964 |
| July | 0 | 567 | 1,032 |
| August | 0 | 553 | 1,018 |
| September | 0 | 456 | 906 |
| October | 19 | 258 | 704 |
| November | 99 | 84 | 438 |
| December | 233 | 47 | 307 |
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 0.9 km from Starke. 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 USC00088529 (Starke). Public domain.