Unadilla climate

Unadilla Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hawkinsville, 25.4 km from Unadilla, elevation 245 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hawkinsville. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 27

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 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 15
32°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Feb 26
28°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 8
24°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 8Feb 2Jan 26Jan 13
20°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 15Jan 6Dec 28
16°FFeb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 15Jan 9Jan 1Dec 24

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 21Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Dec 4
28°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 25
24°FNov 16Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 17
20°FDec 2Dec 10Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 24Feb 3
16°FDec 11Dec 25Jan 1Jan 8Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 1Feb 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°F239230224220215210206200193
32°F266257249244239234229224216
28°F302292282273267260255249240
24°F340330320313305297289279267
20°F365365355343335329322312300
16°F365365365365365365354340328

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
80% of years
16°F or colder
41% 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
2,291
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,151
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,059
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,372
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,821
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,430
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,197

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January566276
February423395
March27918242
April10968413
May17234682
June0410859
July0504969
August0476941
September4316762
October86102484
November30617201
December502398

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 25.4 km from Unadilla. 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 USC00094170 (Hawkinsville). Public domain.