Gumlog Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hartwell. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 241 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 3, first November 4
- Median at 32°F
- last March 20, first November 15
- Median at 28°F
- last March 7, first December 1
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 6 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 1 |
| 28°F | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 2 | Feb 27 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 |
| 24°F | Mar 15 | Mar 9 | Mar 2 | Feb 26 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 21 |
| 20°F | Mar 6 | Feb 27 | Feb 15 | Feb 7 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 21 | Jan 14 | Jan 3 |
| 16°F | Feb 24 | Feb 10 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 22 | Jan 17 | Jan 12 | Jan 6 | Dec 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 22 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 32°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 |
| 28°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 | Dec 29 |
| 24°F | Nov 24 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 5 | Jan 13 |
| 20°F | Dec 8 | Dec 18 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Feb 1 |
| 16°F | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 16 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 9 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 239 | 231 | 225 | 221 | 217 | 213 | 208 | 203 | 197 |
| 32°F | 270 | 259 | 252 | 247 | 241 | 236 | 231 | 225 | 216 |
| 28°F | 300 | 290 | 282 | 275 | 269 | 265 | 258 | 252 | 242 |
| 24°F | 336 | 325 | 316 | 308 | 302 | 297 | 289 | 281 | 270 |
| 20°F | 365 | 357 | 346 | 338 | 332 | 324 | 315 | 306 | 296 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 359 | 350 | 340 | 331 | 317 |
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
- 89% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 56% 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
- 3,004
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,688
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,976
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,382
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,950
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,692
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,604
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 699 | 0 | 31 |
| February | 545 | 0 | 45 |
| March | 387 | 7 | 159 |
| April | 165 | 40 | 335 |
| May | 37 | 155 | 583 |
| June | 2 | 335 | 783 |
| July | 0 | 446 | 911 |
| August | 0 | 409 | 874 |
| September | 9 | 240 | 681 |
| October | 141 | 50 | 380 |
| November | 401 | 5 | 124 |
| December | 619 | 0 | 45 |
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 21.8 km from Gumlog. 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 USC00094133 (Hartwell). Public domain.