Perry County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Skyline 1 Se. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 191 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 29, first October 20
- Median at 32°F
- last April 18, first October 28
- Median at 28°F
- last April 6, first November 5
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 3 | Apr 30 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 |
| 32°F | May 2 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 21 | Apr 18 | Apr 16 | Apr 14 | Apr 11 | Apr 6 |
| 28°F | Apr 20 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 24 |
| 24°F | Apr 10 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 7 |
| 20°F | Mar 31 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 18 |
| 16°F | Mar 21 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 | Mar 4 | Feb 27 | Feb 20 | Feb 12 | Feb 6 | Jan 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 |
| 28°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 18 |
| 16°F | Nov 18 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | 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 | 188 | 184 | 180 | 176 | 173 | 169 | 166 | 162 | 156 |
| 32°F | 207 | 200 | 197 | 194 | 191 | 188 | 185 | 181 | 174 |
| 28°F | 231 | 224 | 220 | 216 | 213 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 197 |
| 24°F | 260 | 250 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 229 | 225 | 220 | 214 |
| 20°F | 289 | 278 | 270 | 264 | 257 | 252 | 246 | 239 | 232 |
| 16°F | 323 | 310 | 302 | 295 | 289 | 282 | 275 | 267 | 255 |
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
- 4,287
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,043
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,446
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,041
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,809
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,741
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,817
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 914 | 0 | 11 |
| February | 725 | 0 | 16 |
| March | 589 | 1 | 72 |
| April | 294 | 13 | 218 |
| May | 102 | 79 | 446 |
| June | 9 | 197 | 639 |
| July | 1 | 306 | 770 |
| August | 1 | 292 | 756 |
| September | 41 | 131 | 540 |
| October | 248 | 23 | 264 |
| November | 565 | 1 | 58 |
| December | 800 | 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 26.7 km from Perry 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 USC00157431 (Skyline 1 Se). Public domain.