Ball Ground climate

Ball Ground Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Jasper 1 Nnw, 16.6 km from Ball Ground, elevation 1465 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Jasper 1 Nnw. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 17, 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°FMay 1Apr 26Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 18Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18Mar 11
28°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 1Feb 22
24°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 3
20°FMar 13Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Feb 2Jan 28Jan 16
16°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 8Feb 2Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 12Jan 4

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 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16Nov 26
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 8
24°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 21Dec 31
20°FNov 23Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16
16°FDec 7Dec 15Dec 24Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 18Jan 29

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°F218211206201196191187181174
32°F249239233226221216212205199
28°F281270261256251244237231221
24°F314303294286279273265257248
20°F344332324317310304295286273
16°F365356348339333328320310299

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
86% 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
3,595
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,166
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,023
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,515
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,168
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,994
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,994

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January797021
February625029
March4713114
April23317258
May7687478
June6229673
July0330795
August0306770
September23165593
October20328306
November473295
December690036

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 16.6 km from Ball Ground. 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 USC00094648 (Jasper 1 Nnw). Public domain.