Auxier Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Paintsville 1E. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 188 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 30, first October 16
- Median at 32°F
- last April 19, first October 25
- Median at 28°F
- last April 5, first November 2
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 16 | May 10 | May 6 | May 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 27 | Apr 24 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 |
| 32°F | May 6 | Apr 30 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 4 |
| 28°F | Apr 20 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 20 |
| 24°F | Apr 10 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 6 |
| 20°F | Mar 28 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 20 |
| 16°F | Mar 20 | Mar 14 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 18 | Feb 11 | Feb 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 | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 28°F | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 28 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 15 |
| 16°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 4 |
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 | 186 | 181 | 176 | 172 | 168 | 164 | 161 | 156 | 149 |
| 32°F | 206 | 201 | 196 | 192 | 188 | 184 | 180 | 176 | 168 |
| 28°F | 230 | 224 | 218 | 215 | 211 | 207 | 202 | 198 | 190 |
| 24°F | 255 | 247 | 241 | 236 | 232 | 227 | 222 | 217 | 211 |
| 20°F | 285 | 275 | 269 | 262 | 257 | 253 | 247 | 241 | 233 |
| 16°F | 318 | 306 | 299 | 293 | 287 | 281 | 274 | 265 | 256 |
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
- 4,604
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,095
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,312
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,964
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,772
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,734
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,840
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 976 | 0 | 7 |
| February | 780 | 0 | 15 |
| March | 625 | 2 | 66 |
| April | 313 | 17 | 210 |
| May | 118 | 81 | 432 |
| June | 12 | 214 | 653 |
| July | 1 | 323 | 787 |
| August | 2 | 298 | 761 |
| September | 52 | 137 | 537 |
| October | 287 | 22 | 237 |
| November | 595 | 1 | 54 |
| December | 845 | 0 | 14 |
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 9.3 km from Auxier. 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 USC00156136 (Paintsville 1E). Public domain.