Evansville climate

Evansville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Evansville Museum, 1.9 km from Evansville, elevation 374 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Evansville Museum. 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 March 29 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 225 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 20

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°FApr 28Apr 20Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25
32°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14
28°FMar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 1
24°FMar 23Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 15
20°FMar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 3
16°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 13Feb 8Feb 4Jan 30Jan 21

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°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 12
32°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25
28°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 13Nov 17Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20
20°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 27Jan 3
16°FDec 4Dec 11Dec 18Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 17

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°F223216211208204199193187180
32°F245238233229225221217212204
28°F269262257251246242238233226
24°F294285277272267262257251242
20°F319308300295289283277271262
16°F336329323317311305299292282

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
99% 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
3,883
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,771
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,541
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,106
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,812
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,657
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,645

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January93409
February717021
March5195100
April20237307
May54149560
June2355802
July0465930
August0443908
September19251683
October16862371
November4845103
December783020

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 1.9 km from Evansville. 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 USC00122731 (Evansville Museum). Public domain.