Butler climate

Butler Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Talbotton, 30.1 km from Butler, elevation 620 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Talbotton. 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 April 1 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 15

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 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 28
32°FApr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 13
28°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 24
24°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 15Feb 3
20°FMar 12Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 15
16°FMar 2Feb 16Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 23Jan 16Jan 7Dec 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 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 19
28°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4
24°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 16Dec 27
20°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 5Jan 16
16°FDec 5Dec 14Dec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 22Feb 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°F213206201197193188184179173
32°F240231225220216211205200194
28°F270259253247242238233226218
24°F305294285277271265260252244
20°F343330320313306299291282270
16°F365364352344336330322312299

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
81% 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
2,834
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,588
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,021
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,404
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,940
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,639
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,521

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January653046
February486170
March3509184
April16536330
May35145575
June1314763
July0417882
August0383848
September10229669
October14847372
November3876139
December600161

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 30.1 km from Butler. 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 USC00098535 (Talbotton). Public domain.