Folkston climate

Folkston Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Folkston 9 Sw, 15.1 km from Folkston, elevation 120 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Folkston 9 Sw. 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 February 26 and the first fall freeze around December 7, a growing season of about 285 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 13, first November 22
Median at 32°F
last February 26, first December 7
Median at 28°F
last February 3, first December 30

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 3Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 18
32°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 5Jan 29
28°FMar 6Feb 26Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 13Jan 3
24°FFeb 23Feb 14Feb 4Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 12Jan 5Dec 30
20°FFeb 12Feb 4Jan 31Jan 23Jan 16Jan 11Jan 6Jan 2Dec 25
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13
32°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 20Dec 30Jan 7
28°FNov 30Dec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 29
24°FDec 9Dec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 21Jan 29Feb 7
20°FDec 16Dec 29Jan 4Jan 9Jan 13Jan 19Jan 27Feb 2Feb 9
16°F–––––––––

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°F284273266260254248243237226
32°F320308300292285279272264252
28°F357342334327320312305296283
24°F365365365362354346337328314
20°F365365365365365365365360340
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
92% of years
24°F or colder
61% of years
20°F or colder
26% of years
16°F or colder
6% 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
1,109
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,048
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,077
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,284
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,545
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,904
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,395

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January32419217
February21226254
March12279429
April30171591
May3347809
June0495945
July05751,040
August05601,025
September0438888
October22235678
November12672402
December27033267

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 15.1 km from Folkston. 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 USC00093465 (Folkston 9 Sw). Public domain.