Lumpkin County climate

Lumpkin County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cleveland, 21.8 km from Lumpkin County, elevation 1567 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cleveland. 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 April 14 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 3

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°FMay 12May 8May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 13
32°FMay 2Apr 27Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30
28°FApr 17Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
24°FApr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 25
20°FMar 25Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 19Feb 13Feb 3
16°FMar 14Mar 5Feb 27Feb 19Feb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 21Jan 9

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 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 29
32°FOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 20
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4
20°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 19Dec 30
16°FNov 27Dec 2Dec 9Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 20

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°F190184179174171167163159153
32°F214206201196192187183178170
28°F242232226222218213208203196
24°F275263256251245241235229220
20°F314301291284277269263255245
16°F347334325317309302295285273

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
97% 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
3,865
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
997
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,576
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,104
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,809
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,701
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,766

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January811016
February652019
March520180
April27410213
May9864432
June7194637
July0302767
August0273738
September31133552
October23218268
November507166
December733021

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 Lumpkin County. 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 USC00092006 (Cleveland). Public domain.