Brandenburg Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brandenburg. 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 24, a growing season of about 186 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 29, first October 14
- Median at 32°F
- last April 19, first October 24
- Median at 28°F
- last April 6, 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 13 | May 7 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 19 | Apr 15 |
| 32°F | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 4 |
| 28°F | Apr 23 | Apr 17 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 |
| 24°F | Apr 12 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 7 |
| 20°F | Apr 2 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 |
| 16°F | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 20 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 |
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 | Sep 30 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 |
| 32°F | Oct 9 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 28°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 30 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 |
| 16°F | Nov 16 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 |
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 | 185 | 179 | 174 | 170 | 166 | 162 | 158 | 154 | 147 |
| 32°F | 209 | 202 | 196 | 191 | 186 | 183 | 178 | 174 | 167 |
| 28°F | 231 | 225 | 219 | 214 | 211 | 206 | 202 | 195 | 188 |
| 24°F | 256 | 249 | 242 | 237 | 233 | 227 | 223 | 216 | 209 |
| 20°F | 281 | 272 | 265 | 260 | 256 | 252 | 246 | 239 | 230 |
| 16°F | 307 | 298 | 291 | 286 | 279 | 274 | 269 | 263 | 254 |
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
- 4,672
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,139
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,372
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,037
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,851
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,807
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,899
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 997 | 0 | 11 |
| February | 804 | 0 | 19 |
| March | 631 | 3 | 68 |
| April | 304 | 23 | 224 |
| May | 103 | 88 | 452 |
| June | 10 | 223 | 663 |
| July | 1 | 334 | 798 |
| August | 2 | 299 | 763 |
| September | 52 | 143 | 542 |
| October | 284 | 25 | 241 |
| November | 603 | 1 | 58 |
| December | 884 | 0 | 13 |
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 6.7 km from Brandenburg. 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 USC00150955 (Brandenburg). Public domain.