Hall County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gainesville. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 231 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 7, first November 1
- Median at 32°F
- last March 27, first November 12
- Median at 28°F
- last March 12, first November 26
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 23 | Apr 17 | Apr 13 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 22 |
| 32°F | Apr 11 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 26 | Feb 19 |
| 24°F | Mar 19 | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Mar 1 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 12 | Feb 6 | Jan 28 |
| 20°F | Mar 6 | Feb 27 | Feb 18 | Feb 10 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 8 |
| 16°F | Feb 26 | Feb 11 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 24 | Jan 19 | Jan 13 | Jan 8 | Jan 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 |
| 28°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 20 |
| 24°F | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 10 |
| 20°F | Dec 5 | Dec 14 | Dec 22 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 29 |
| 16°F | Dec 19 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 13 | Jan 18 | Jan 25 | Feb 4 |
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 | 228 | 221 | 216 | 212 | 207 | 203 | 198 | 194 | 187 |
| 32°F | 257 | 249 | 242 | 235 | 231 | 227 | 222 | 216 | 209 |
| 28°F | 291 | 279 | 272 | 265 | 260 | 254 | 248 | 242 | 233 |
| 24°F | 325 | 314 | 306 | 299 | 293 | 287 | 280 | 271 | 260 |
| 20°F | 359 | 346 | 338 | 331 | 325 | 316 | 308 | 300 | 289 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 349 | 341 | 334 | 327 | 312 |
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
- 93% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 68% 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
- 3,262
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,418
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,485
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,926
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,538
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,324
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,286
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 741 | 0 | 22 |
| February | 583 | 0 | 32 |
| March | 427 | 3 | 130 |
| April | 200 | 26 | 290 |
| May | 53 | 115 | 527 |
| June | 3 | 282 | 729 |
| July | 0 | 397 | 862 |
| August | 0 | 361 | 826 |
| September | 16 | 196 | 630 |
| October | 162 | 35 | 346 |
| November | 428 | 2 | 108 |
| December | 650 | 1 | 36 |
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 4.1 km from Hall 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 USC00093621 (Gainesville). Public domain.