Roachdale climate

Roachdale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Crawfordsville 6 Se, 17.1 km from Roachdale, elevation 836 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Crawfordsville 6 Se. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around October 12, a growing season of about 167 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 2
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 12
Median at 28°F
last April 14, first October 23

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 22May 18May 13May 10May 7May 4May 1Apr 27Apr 22
32°FMay 13May 7May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
28°FMay 2Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31
24°FApr 21Apr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 17
20°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 5
16°FMar 31Mar 27Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 24

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 19Sep 24Sep 27Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 15
32°FSep 26Oct 2Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 25
28°FOct 6Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 6
24°FOct 18Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 15Nov 23
20°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 6
16°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 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°F168161156151148144139134126
32°F188181176172167162157152146
28°F210202196192188184180174167
24°F237229224218214210205199191
20°F264254247242237232227222213
16°F285277271265260253249243234

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
6,067
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
767
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,287
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,115
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,079
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,172
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,393

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,23703
February1,01503
March817235
April4557122
May18757348
June30178599
July9237693
August14186637
September10688436
October39414167
November729034
December1,07605

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 17.1 km from Roachdale. 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 USC00121873 (Crawfordsville 6 Se). Public domain.