LaGrange climate

LaGrange Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for La Grange 1N, 1.6 km from LaGrange, elevation 730 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for La Grange 1N. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first November 16

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 29Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 27
32°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15
28°FApr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5Feb 26
24°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 4
20°FMar 16Mar 7Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 10
16°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 8Dec 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 15Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 30Dec 5
24°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 17Dec 31
20°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19Dec 28Jan 3Jan 11Jan 23
16°FDec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 30Jan 4Jan 10Jan 18Jan 27Feb 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F220212207203199195190185178
32°F245235230225221216212207201
28°F273262255249244240234228221
24°F309298287281274267260253243
20°F344333324314306299291282270
16°F365365359348338332322310300

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
77% 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
2,589
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,848
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,482
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,827
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,321
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,985
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,827

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January619147
February460180
March31116211
April12649376
May24186626
June0365814
July0459924
August0438903
September4259705
October11166426
November3597151
December575159

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 1.6 km from LaGrange. 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 USC00094949 (La Grange 1N). Public domain.