Broxton Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pridgen. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 252 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 25, first November 7
- Median at 32°F
- last March 12, first November 17
- Median at 28°F
- last February 25, first December 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 | Apr 12 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 6 |
| 32°F | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 27 | Feb 20 |
| 28°F | Mar 18 | Mar 11 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 12 | Feb 3 | Jan 28 |
| 24°F | Mar 4 | Feb 25 | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 4 |
| 20°F | Feb 19 | Feb 10 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 20 | Jan 14 | Jan 7 | Dec 27 |
| 16°F | Feb 9 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 27 | Jan 21 | Jan 16 | Jan 11 | Jan 6 | Jan 1 |
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 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 |
| 32°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 10 |
| 28°F | Nov 12 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 18 | Dec 31 | Jan 8 |
| 24°F | Nov 26 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 22 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 17 | Jan 27 |
| 20°F | Dec 10 | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 24 | Jan 29 | Feb 9 |
| 16°F | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 |
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 | 252 | 244 | 238 | 233 | 228 | 223 | 218 | 213 | 207 |
| 32°F | 282 | 272 | 264 | 258 | 252 | 248 | 243 | 237 | 227 |
| 28°F | 320 | 308 | 300 | 293 | 285 | 279 | 270 | 262 | 252 |
| 24°F | 362 | 347 | 336 | 329 | 322 | 314 | 306 | 298 | 286 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 355 | 345 | 337 | 328 | 315 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 359 | 339 |
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
- 93% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 62% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 24% 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
- 1,993
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,205
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,389
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,666
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,061
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,608
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,319
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 515 | 4 | 103 |
| February | 366 | 6 | 127 |
| March | 242 | 23 | 272 |
| April | 83 | 83 | 452 |
| May | 12 | 240 | 693 |
| June | 0 | 399 | 849 |
| July | 0 | 496 | 961 |
| August | 0 | 471 | 936 |
| September | 2 | 332 | 780 |
| October | 67 | 122 | 523 |
| November | 271 | 21 | 227 |
| December | 436 | 8 | 139 |
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 8.6 km from Broxton. 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 USC00097171 (Pridgen). Public domain.