Corydon Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Henderson 8 Ssw. 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 4 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 207 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 16, first October 20
- Median at 32°F
- last April 4, first October 29
- Median at 28°F
- last March 26, first November 8
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 | Apr 30 | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 |
| 32°F | Apr 19 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 26 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 |
| 24°F | Mar 31 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 2 | Feb 24 |
| 20°F | Mar 21 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 9 |
| 16°F | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 26 | Feb 22 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 4 | Jan 29 |
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 6 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 28°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 24°F | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 |
| 20°F | Nov 11 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 |
| 16°F | Nov 21 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 8 |
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 | 204 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 186 | 181 | 178 | 172 | 164 |
| 32°F | 226 | 220 | 215 | 211 | 207 | 203 | 199 | 195 | 187 |
| 28°F | 252 | 244 | 238 | 233 | 227 | 224 | 218 | 214 | 207 |
| 24°F | 278 | 267 | 260 | 254 | 250 | 245 | 241 | 235 | 227 |
| 20°F | 300 | 290 | 283 | 277 | 272 | 266 | 261 | 254 | 244 |
| 16°F | 325 | 315 | 307 | 302 | 296 | 289 | 282 | 275 | 265 |
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
- 4,299
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,463
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,970
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,590
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,350
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,249
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,287
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 966 | 0 | 12 |
| February | 765 | 0 | 20 |
| March | 574 | 5 | 86 |
| April | 253 | 32 | 265 |
| May | 73 | 138 | 531 |
| June | 4 | 306 | 751 |
| July | 0 | 395 | 860 |
| August | 1 | 354 | 818 |
| September | 33 | 186 | 603 |
| October | 227 | 44 | 304 |
| November | 550 | 3 | 81 |
| December | 854 | 0 | 18 |
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 5.3 km from Corydon. 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 USC00153762 (Henderson 8 Ssw). Public domain.