Gresham Park climate

Gresham Park Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Atlanta Hartsfield Intl AP, 14.3 km from Gresham Park, elevation 1010 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Atlanta Hartsfield Intl AP. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 252 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 29, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 5

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 16Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10
32°FApr 4Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 23
28°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Feb 1
24°FMar 12Mar 3Feb 26Feb 18Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 12
20°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 10Dec 31
16°FFeb 15Feb 2Jan 29Jan 25Jan 20Jan 15Jan 11Jan 6Dec 29

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 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 25
32°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 10
28°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17Dec 25Jan 3
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Dec 30Jan 4Jan 11Jan 19
20°FDec 10Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 5Jan 9Jan 15Jan 22Feb 1
16°FDec 21Dec 29Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 15Jan 21Jan 27Feb 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°F252243236231226222217211204
32°F281271265258252246241234226
28°F314303295287281275268261252
24°F348334328320313305299290280
20°F365363354345339333326316303
16°F365365365365364356346335328

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
81% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,531
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,051
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,764
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,114
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,606
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,254
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,065

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January627157
February463283
March30917222
April12064400
May22214657
June1387835
July0494959
August0470935
September5302747
October9988458
November33610176
December551276

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 14.3 km from Gresham Park. 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 USW00013874 (Atlanta Hartsfield Intl AP). Public domain.