Kevil climate

Kevil Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Paducah, 10.4 km from Kevil, elevation 392 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Paducah. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 206 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 16, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 24, first November 7

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 1Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1
32°FApr 21Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19
28°FApr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6
24°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 20
20°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5
16°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 14Feb 9Feb 4Jan 31Jan 19

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 6Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29
32°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 10
28°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 25
24°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 10
20°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 19Dec 26
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 8Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Dec 29Jan 3Jan 14

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°F205198193189185181177172166
32°F228220215210206203199194186
28°F253245239233229225219213206
24°F279271264257252247242236228
20°F307298290284278273266259250
16°F334324315309303298291284272

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
99% 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
3,925
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,683
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,412
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,981
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,692
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,545
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,542

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January899018
February698131
March5048115
April22141296
May55160571
June2348796
July0454919
August0408873
September28209632
October21349319
November515595
December791027

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 10.4 km from Kevil. 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 USW00003816 (Paducah). Public domain.