Mount Sterling climate

Mount Sterling Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Perry 6 Nw, 20.8 km from Mount Sterling, elevation 650 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Perry 6 Nw. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 15, a growing season of about 179 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 5
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 15
Median at 28°F
last April 6, first October 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°FMay 15May 9May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15
32°FMay 5Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4
28°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
24°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 9
20°FApr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28
16°FMar 27Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19

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 20Sep 26Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 10Oct 14Oct 19
32°FSep 30Oct 5Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28
28°FOct 12Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 8
24°FOct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
20°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18

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°F177171167163158153148143137
32°F200194187183179175170165157
28°F223215210206203199194188181
24°F247240234230225220215210204
20°F271263257252247242237231223
16°F289281275270266262256250243

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
5,406
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,169
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,082
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,839
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,727
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,743
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,883

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,17302
February93408
March714353
April36517180
May12395441
June14253690
July2349812
August4295756
September72134514
October32922214
November660152
December1,01706

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 20.8 km from Mount Sterling. 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 USC00116738 (Perry 6 Nw). Public domain.