Locust Grove climate

Locust Grove Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mcdonough 5 Ene, 16.2 km from Locust Grove, elevation 708 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mcdonough 5 Ene. 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 6, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 17

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 28Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 25
32°FApr 16Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 15Mar 8
28°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20
24°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 2
20°FMar 14Mar 4Feb 24Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 22Jan 11
16°FMar 2Feb 14Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 17Jan 10Dec 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 16Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 10
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 24
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16Dec 27Jan 4
20°FNov 25Dec 3Dec 10Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14Jan 26
16°FDec 10Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 25Feb 5

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°F219211207203199195190184178
32°F245236230226220215210205198
28°F276266260253247242236229220
24°F312301293285278273266258248
20°F348335329321314307300290278
16°F365365359348341334328319306

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
71% 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
2,908
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,844
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,209
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,602
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,155
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,876
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,778

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January672043
February528043
March3597168
April15043352
May28175612
June1367816
July0479944
August0454919
September8262703
October13951383
November4106116
December615156

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 16.2 km from Locust Grove. 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 USC00095666 (Mcdonough 5 Ene). Public domain.