Baldwin climate

Baldwin Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cornelia, 3 km from Baldwin, elevation 1470 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cornelia. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 18

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 30Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29
32°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 12
28°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 23
24°FMar 25Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 3
20°FMar 11Mar 2Feb 26Feb 17Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 23Jan 12
16°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 17Jan 11Jan 3

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 15Oct 19Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 25
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 10
24°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15Dec 23Jan 1
20°FNov 28Dec 4Dec 11Dec 19Dec 25Dec 30Jan 4Jan 9Jan 19
16°FDec 11Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 16Jan 23Feb 1

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°F221213207203199195190184175
32°F248238231226222217213208201
28°F278269260254248241235229221
24°F311302292284277271264254243
20°F343331323317310304297287276
16°F365358350344337331324314301

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
98% of years
16°F or colder
83% 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
3,564
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,176
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,014
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,499
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,158
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,988
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,996

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January780019
February615028
March4772109
April23320259
May7389482
June6236679
July0343808
August1304769
September25156581
October20025303
November467292
December688031

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 3 km from Baldwin. 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 USC00092283 (Cornelia). Public domain.