Colbert climate

Colbert Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Winterville, 10.7 km from Colbert, elevation 890 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Winterville. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first November 14

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 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 30
32°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 15
28°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5Feb 25
24°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 7
20°FMar 15Mar 5Feb 28Feb 20Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 13
16°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 7Feb 2Jan 31Jan 23Jan 18Jan 10Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17
28°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 29Dec 4
24°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15Dec 27
20°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 15
16°FDec 9Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 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°F215208203198194191186181174
32°F240231226221217212208203196
28°F270259253247242236231226218
24°F302290283277271265257250241
20°F337328318312305298290282271
16°F365358348340335330322312300

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
85% 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
3,172
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,450
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,596
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,028
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,624
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,388
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,335

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January721029
February557041
March3946151
April17733319
May50122537
June2288736
July0395860
August0366831
September16202636
October17235339
November4363104
December648042

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 10.7 km from Colbert. 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 USC00099486 (Winterville). Public domain.