Buchanan climate

Buchanan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carrollton, 25 km from Buchanan, elevation 995 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carrollton. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 16

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 26Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 24
32°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 7
28°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 7Jan 29
20°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 19Jan 10
16°FMar 1Feb 13Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 21Jan 16Jan 9Dec 30

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 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 8
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16Nov 22
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7
24°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 24Jan 1
20°FNov 25Dec 2Dec 9Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 11Jan 21
16°FDec 9Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 15Jan 21Feb 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°F220213208204200195191185178
32°F248239233228222218214209202
28°F278269261255249243238233224
24°F318304296288281274267258246
20°F349337330322314306300290278
16°F365365358348340333327317305

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
78% 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
2,992
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,688
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,997
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,407
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,974
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,706
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,612

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January695039
February524157
March3758165
April15937337
May35157588
June1338787
July0443908
August0414879
September11236675
October15449369
November4175118
December623153

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 25 km from Buchanan. 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 USC00091640 (Carrollton). Public domain.