Baconton climate

Baconton Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Albany 3 Se, 17.2 km from Baconton, elevation 180 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Albany 3 Se. 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 20, a growing season of about 257 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 23, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 10, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 21, first December 5

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 11Apr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 7Feb 28
32°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13
28°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31Jan 21
24°FMar 7Feb 26Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 29Jan 21Jan 12Dec 31
20°FFeb 25Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 12Jan 3Dec 22
16°FFeb 11Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Jan 2

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 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 26
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 12
28°FNov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 13Dec 23Jan 1Jan 8
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 14Dec 25Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 16Feb 1
20°FDec 10Dec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 17Jan 24Feb 1Feb 9
16°FJan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 20Jan 24Jan 31Feb 3Feb 8

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°F258250244238232227222217208
32°F293279270264257251246240231
28°F329316307299293286278267257
24°F365353341334328320310303289
20°F365365365365362350339332319
16°F365365365365365365365365346

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
88% of years
20°F or colder
51% of years
16°F or colder
13% 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
1,972
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,375
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,579
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,855
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,249
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,793
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,494

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January518398
February3667130
March23231288
April8389458
May10263718
June0429879
July0524989
August0501966
September1358807
October64138541
November26225240
December4357135

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 17.2 km from Baconton. 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 USC00090140 (Albany 3 Se). Public domain.