Bloomfield climate

Bloomfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bardstown 5E, 11.7 km from Bloomfield, elevation 780 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bardstown 5E. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 195 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 13, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 5

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 12May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11
32°FMay 3Apr 25Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29
28°FApr 18Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
24°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 8Mar 1
20°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 14
16°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 23Feb 16Feb 8Feb 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°FOct 2Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 21
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4
20°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 19
16°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 15Dec 21Dec 25Dec 31

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°F192186181177173169165160153
32°F215208204200195191187180174
28°F240233226222217214209204196
24°F266258251245241236231224217
20°F292282276270265259253246237
16°F320307300294288282275268258

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
4,235
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,273
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,807
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,412
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,157
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,048
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,084

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January939016
February739024
March563493
April25526259
May80109496
June7254697
July0355820
August1322786
September38168581
October24033284
November545280
December828022

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 11.7 km from Bloomfield. 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 USC00150397 (Bardstown 5E). Public domain.