Bluford climate

Bluford Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mt Vernon 3 Ne, 11.3 km from Bluford, elevation 490 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mt Vernon 3 Ne. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 1

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 8May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9
32°FApr 26Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30
28°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16
24°FApr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4
20°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 19
16°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14Feb 6

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°FSep 30Oct 4Oct 8Oct 10Oct 12Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25
32°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 16
24°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30
20°FNov 6Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 13
16°FNov 15Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 14Dec 19Dec 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°F191185180177172168165160153
32°F211205200196193189186180175
28°F235227222217214210206200194
24°F259251246241237232228222215
20°F284275269264259254249244236
16°F306298292286280275269261253

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
100% 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
4,998
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,191
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,274
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,984
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,832
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,816
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,934

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,08205
February860010
March663262
April33116197
May11192449
June10251691
July1357821
August3306769
September60139531
October30125235
November633254
December94509

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 11.3 km from Bluford. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00115943 (Mt Vernon 3 Ne). Public domain.