Campbellsburg climate

Campbellsburg Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Salem, 15.7 km from Campbellsburg, elevation 785 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Salem. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 186 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 4, 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 15May 9May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 13
32°FMay 4Apr 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2
28°FApr 22Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 4
20°FMar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 27Feb 21
16°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8

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

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°F185179174171166162157151144
32°F207200195190186182178172165
28°F231223217213209204199194186
24°F260250244238234229224218210
20°F283274267261256250244238231
16°F308299291285279273267259249

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
4,637
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,157
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,437
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,100
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,900
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,843
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,925

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,003010
February809014
March615376
April30321217
May10190456
June11239678
July0332797
August2298761
September50146547
October26127260
November588271
December895014

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 15.7 km from Campbellsburg. 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 USC00127755 (Salem). Public domain.