Larue County climate

Larue County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hodgenville Lincoln P, 3.6 km from Larue County, elevation 788 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hodgenville Lincoln P. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first November 3

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 8May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14
32°FMay 3Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
20°FMar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26Feb 19
16°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4

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 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 21
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 4
20°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 19
16°FNov 20Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 22Dec 27Jan 2

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°F191184179175171166161156150
32°F212205200195191188184178170
28°F236228223218215211206201193
24°F264254247242238233228223216
20°F290281274267261256251244236
16°F316304298292286281276267257

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
4,208
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,219
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,741
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,338
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,085
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,978
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,021

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January936014
February723023
March552493
April25724256
May9095472
June9242682
July0346811
August1318781
September40157567
October23633288
November538279
December826020

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 3.6 km from Larue County. 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 USC00153929 (Hodgenville Lincoln P). Public domain.