Floyd County climate

Floyd County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rome, 5.7 km from Floyd County, elevation 685 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rome. 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 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 18, 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 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30
32°FApr 19Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 1Feb 24
24°FMar 26Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 3
20°FMar 12Mar 3Feb 26Feb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 23Jan 13
16°FMar 2Feb 14Feb 6Feb 2Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 9Jan 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 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
32°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
28°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 28Dec 3
24°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 20Dec 30
20°FNov 22Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 9Jan 19
16°FDec 7Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 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°F214207202197193188184180172
32°F239231226221217212207202194
28°F271260253246239234230223214
24°F308293285279272264257249235
20°F346334324315306299292284275
16°F365365354346340333327316301

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
3,248
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,600
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,705
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,160
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,774
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,548
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,492

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January741030
February576039
March4126144
April18234315
May46137557
June3312759
July0428893
August0402866
September15230664
October16948355
November4434111
December661143

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 5.7 km from Floyd 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 USC00097600 (Rome). Public domain.