Adrian climate

Adrian Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kite, 20.7 km from Adrian, elevation 311 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kite. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 21, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 8, first November 22

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 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 24Mar 18
32°FApr 10Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Feb 28
28°FMar 28Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 9
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 5Jan 30Jan 17
20°FMar 6Feb 25Feb 16Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 19Jan 10Dec 30
16°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 10Jan 1Dec 24

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 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 12
32°FOct 25Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 25
28°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 15
24°FNov 17Nov 24Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16Dec 25Jan 3Jan 14
20°FDec 1Dec 6Dec 14Dec 22Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20Feb 2
16°FDec 8Dec 21Jan 1Jan 7Jan 13Jan 20Jan 29Feb 4Feb 14

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°F231223217212207203199193187
32°F258249243238233227222215208
28°F294280273266260254248241232
24°F334318308301293287279269258
20°F365353341334327318309300289
16°F365365365365365351338330314

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
85% of years
16°F or colder
51% 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
2,430
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,081
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,882
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,218
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,690
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,312
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,101

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January582179
February446392
March30318224
April11962398
May23207650
June0404853
July0505970
August0467931
September4304750
October9595468
November32813182
December529293

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 20.7 km from Adrian. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00094862 (Kite). Public domain.