Hampton Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Le Claire L&d 14. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 190 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 27, first October 15
- Median at 32°F
- last April 16, first October 25
- Median at 28°F
- last April 6, first November 2
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 8 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 11 |
| 32°F | Apr 30 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 18 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 |
| 28°F | Apr 21 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 |
| 24°F | Apr 9 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 |
| 20°F | Apr 2 | Mar 29 | Mar 24 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 |
| 16°F | Mar 26 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 13 | Mar 10 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 |
| 16°F | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 190 | 183 | 178 | 174 | 171 | 167 | 163 | 158 | 151 |
| 32°F | 209 | 203 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 186 | 182 | 178 | 172 |
| 28°F | 229 | 222 | 218 | 213 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 197 | 191 |
| 24°F | 252 | 244 | 238 | 233 | 229 | 225 | 222 | 217 | 210 |
| 20°F | 272 | 262 | 258 | 252 | 248 | 243 | 239 | 233 | 226 |
| 16°F | 286 | 279 | 274 | 269 | 264 | 260 | 255 | 249 | 243 |
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
- 6,229
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,024
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,577
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,427
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,395
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,480
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,690
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,323 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,086 | 0 | 1 |
| March | 845 | 0 | 23 |
| April | 450 | 6 | 114 |
| May | 162 | 65 | 375 |
| June | 17 | 224 | 657 |
| July | 1 | 328 | 792 |
| August | 4 | 269 | 730 |
| September | 79 | 118 | 491 |
| October | 364 | 14 | 184 |
| November | 753 | 0 | 26 |
| December | 1,144 | 0 | 2 |
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 2.2 km from Hampton. 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 USC00134705 (Le Claire L&d 14). Public domain.