West Point climate

West Point Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for W Pt, 0.9 km from West Point, elevation 575 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for W Pt. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 23

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 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23
32°FApr 15Apr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6
28°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18
24°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 29
20°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 18Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 2
16°FFeb 23Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 28Jan 23Jan 17Jan 9Jan 1

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 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13
32°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 21Dec 1
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 15
24°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 23Dec 31Jan 7
20°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 16Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 16Jan 30
16°FDec 14Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 16Jan 22Jan 29Feb 6

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°F228219214209205201197193186
32°F256246239234229224219213205
28°F287277270264259254247240231
24°F325310304297291283276269260
20°F361345336329323316308299286
16°F365365365359351342334327315

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
91% of years
16°F or colder
63% 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
2,773
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,767
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,248
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,616
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,143
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,843
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,716

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January657042
February500159
March3516176
April15537340
May29167603
June0344793
July0457922
August0431896
September6261705
October12956399
November3667148
December580160

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 0.9 km from West Point. 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 USC00099291 (W Pt). Public domain.