Riceboro climate

Riceboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Stewart, 23.3 km from Riceboro, elevation 92 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Stewart. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 29, a growing season of about 269 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 19, first November 15
Median at 32°F
last March 5, first November 29
Median at 28°F
last February 17, first December 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 7Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28
32°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 6
28°FMar 13Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 28Jan 14
24°FMar 2Feb 22Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 7Dec 28
20°FFeb 15Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 20Jan 15Jan 8Jan 4Dec 24
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 5
32°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14Dec 26
28°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17Dec 26Jan 2Jan 8Jan 21
24°FDec 5Dec 13Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 9Jan 16Jan 25Feb 6
20°FDec 18Dec 31Jan 5Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 26Feb 1Feb 10
16°F–––––––––

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°F272261254248242236231223216
32°F301291282275269262257249240
28°F338328318310303297289281268
24°F365365356344335330322312300
20°F365365365365365365359345330
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
98% of years
24°F or colder
78% of years
20°F or colder
40% of years
16°F or colder
9% 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
1,519
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,575
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,204
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,434
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,744
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,189
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,789

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4148147
February29111180
March17344349
April51120519
May5291750
June0444894
July05351,000
August0515980
September1384834
October39171597
November19640306
December35014187

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 23.3 km from Riceboro. 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 USC00093538 (Ft Stewart). Public domain.