Comer climate

Comer Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Danielsville, 17.6 km from Comer, elevation 780 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Danielsville. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 224 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 19

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 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 26
32°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 8
28°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20Feb 13Feb 5Jan 28
20°FMar 10Mar 1Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Feb 1Jan 27Jan 19Jan 9
16°FFeb 27Feb 11Feb 2Jan 31Jan 25Jan 19Jan 13Jan 8Jan 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 16Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
28°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 11
24°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 22Dec 30Jan 7
20°FDec 1Dec 10Dec 19Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 26
16°FDec 14Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 5

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°F223214210205201196192187180
32°F251241234229224220215210202
28°F283273264257252246240233224
24°F319307300291284277271262250
20°F350339332325317310303293281
16°F365365362353345338333324306

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
95% of years
16°F or colder
70% 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
3,118
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,573
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,769
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,193
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,782
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,537
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,470

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January712035
February551146
March4056147
April18933308
May49135551
June1312760
July0426891
August0394859
September14218654
October15743361
November4124121
December629150

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 17.6 km from Comer. 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 USC00092517 (Danielsville). Public domain.