Tecumseh climate

Tecumseh Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Terre Haute Indiana State, 10.3 km from Tecumseh, elevation 507 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Terre Haute Indiana State. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 19, a growing season of about 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 19
Median at 28°F
last April 1, 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 15May 8May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 11
32°FMay 3Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31
28°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 15
24°FApr 8Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5
20°FMar 29Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 25
16°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 11

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 26Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 19Oct 23
32°FOct 4Oct 8Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 2
28°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 14
24°FOct 25Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 30
20°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 12
16°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24

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°F187180175170166160156150142
32°F209202197192187183178171162
28°F233224219214208204200194185
24°F258248242237232227223217208
20°F280271264259254250244238229
16°F300292285279273269264258249

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
4,892
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,474
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,658
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,357
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,193
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,159
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,252

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,09904
February87108
March648470
April29228236
May90131509
June10309748
July1416880
August1368832
September48185589
October28532251
November610158
December93909

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 10.3 km from Tecumseh. 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 USC00128723 (Terre Haute Indiana State). Public domain.