Breathitt County climate

Breathitt County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Quicksand, 2.5 km from Breathitt County, elevation 745 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Quicksand. 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 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 19, 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 14May 9May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 4
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22
24°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 5
20°FMar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 16
16°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31

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

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°F184178174171167164159154149
32°F206199195191187183179174166
28°F231223217213209205200195187
24°F261251244238233228223218210
20°F296284276269263257250242235
16°F327316307300294288281274263

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
4,752
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
944
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,038
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,704
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,539
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,529
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,660

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98405
February795011
March653157
April3437179
May12765409
June10183624
July1291755
August2257721
September56126521
October31714203
November607144
December859010

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 2.5 km from Breathitt County. 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 USC00156624 (Quicksand). Public domain.