Spaulding climate

Spaulding Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Springfield Capital AP, 12.5 km from Spaulding, elevation 594 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Springfield Capital AP. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first October 30

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 10May 5May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 11
32°FApr 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1
28°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 17
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5
20°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 23
16°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13

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 25Sep 29Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 5Oct 11Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 14
24°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27
20°FNov 2Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 10
16°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21

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°F186179173169165161157152144
32°F208201196191187183178173165
28°F230222217213209205200196189
24°F255247241236230225221215208
20°F278269264257253248242236228
16°F297290282277272267262256247

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
5,215
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,252
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,273
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,005
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,874
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,870
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,994

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,15003
February91309
March681360
April33619195
May111112469
June11270709
July1357821
August3308770
September61151542
October31030236
November648154
December99307

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 12.5 km from Spaulding. 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 USW00093822 (Springfield Capital AP). Public domain.