Berea climate

Berea Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Crab Orchard 6 N, 15.2 km from Berea, elevation 1025 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Crab Orchard 6 N. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 188 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 13
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 1

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 17May 10May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 13
32°FMay 9May 2Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 6Mar 31
28°FApr 23Apr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 20
24°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 12Mar 4
20°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 25Feb 16
16°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 2

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 29Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 27Dec 2
20°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18
16°FNov 15Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 27Jan 5

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°F187180174170166162157151146
32°F210201196191188183177171163
28°F235227220215210205200194186
24°F261252245239235229225219211
20°F290280273265259254248241232
16°F320308299291285279272264255

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
4,131
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,161
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,732
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,319
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,051
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,935
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,965

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January908017
February710031
March5486103
April25530264
May9099477
June8226667
July1320784
August2291753
September42154563
October24032282
November528385
December798024

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 15.2 km from Berea. 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 USC00151890 (Crab Orchard 6 N). Public domain.