Rossville climate

Rossville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chickamauga Pk Larc, 7.1 km from Rossville, elevation 782 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chickamauga Pk Larc. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 205 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 19, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 6

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

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°F204197192189184180175171164
32°F226219213209205201196191185
28°F250241235230225221216211203
24°F278267260254249244239233224
20°F315302294288279273266258247
16°F350337330321314306300291276

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
95% 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
3,481
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,461
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,404
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,901
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,558
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,375
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,340

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January778031
February604447
March4524121
April20329295
May59115521
June2282730
July0395860
August0377842
September13210646
October17343350
November493180
December704035

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 7.1 km from Rossville. 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 USC00091908 (Chickamauga Pk Larc). Public domain.