Huntertown Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Garrett 1 S. 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 May 2 and the first fall freeze around October 10, a growing season of about 159 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 11, first October 1
- Median at 32°F
- last May 2, first October 10
- Median at 28°F
- last April 22, first October 22
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 27 | May 22 | May 18 | May 15 | May 11 | May 8 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 28 |
| 32°F | May 16 | May 11 | May 8 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 19 |
| 28°F | May 7 | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 8 |
| 24°F | Apr 27 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 |
| 20°F | Apr 16 | Apr 9 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 |
| 16°F | Apr 3 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 20 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 4 |
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 | Sep 18 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 13 |
| 32°F | Sep 26 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 24 |
| 28°F | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 |
| 24°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 20°F | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 |
| 16°F | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 |
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 | 159 | 153 | 148 | 143 | 140 | 136 | 132 | 127 | 121 |
| 32°F | 179 | 173 | 167 | 163 | 159 | 156 | 152 | 146 | 141 |
| 28°F | 203 | 196 | 190 | 186 | 182 | 178 | 174 | 170 | 162 |
| 24°F | 226 | 220 | 215 | 210 | 207 | 202 | 198 | 193 | 186 |
| 20°F | 252 | 243 | 238 | 235 | 230 | 226 | 222 | 218 | 212 |
| 16°F | 275 | 267 | 262 | 257 | 251 | 246 | 241 | 235 | 228 |
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
- 6,590
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 540
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 4,758
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 3,646
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,660
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,809
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,094
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,291 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,081 | 0 | 1 |
| March | 889 | 1 | 20 |
| April | 515 | 3 | 88 |
| May | 229 | 35 | 290 |
| June | 48 | 120 | 522 |
| July | 13 | 185 | 637 |
| August | 25 | 137 | 577 |
| September | 136 | 55 | 374 |
| October | 440 | 6 | 129 |
| November | 786 | 0 | 20 |
| December | 1,139 | 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 12.9 km from Huntertown. 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 USC00123207 (Garrett 1 S). Public domain.