Dooly County climate

Dooly County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cordele, 19.3 km from Dooly County, elevation 308 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cordele. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 248 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 13, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last February 26, first November 29

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 14Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 7
32°FMar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 3Feb 28Feb 20
28°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 15Feb 9Jan 30
24°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 18Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 20Jan 7
20°FFeb 24Feb 9Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 12Jan 4Dec 27
16°FFeb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 17Jan 11Jan 6Dec 31Dec 23

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

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°F247239233228223218214209203
32°F278267259252248243237232223
28°F315302294286279271265258249
24°F352338330321314306299288276
20°F365365363352344335330323306
16°F365365365365365365361348333

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
95% of years
20°F or colder
71% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,085
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,393
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,496
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,788
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,202
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,767
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,493

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January535289
February3865119
March24028278
April7697473
May9282738
June0450900
July05381,003
August0504969
September3342789
October73121515
November28522219
December4784111

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 19.3 km from Dooly County. 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 USC00092266 (Cordele). Public domain.