Wayne County climate

Wayne County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Monticello 3 Ne, 7.3 km from Wayne County, elevation 979 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Monticello 3 Ne. 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 26, a growing season of about 190 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 26
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 15May 9May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 25Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Mar 31
28°FApr 23Apr 16Apr 11Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 17
24°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9Mar 2
20°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 14
16°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 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 4Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
32°FOct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3
20°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15Dec 23
16°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 9

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°F189183177173168164160155147
32°F211204199194190186180175166
28°F236229223218214209205197190
24°F266256249243237232226221214
20°F295283276269263258251245236
16°F326313305298292286280272261

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
4,319
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,198
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,640
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,253
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,014
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,926
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,989

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January915019
February742021
March590486
April30624225
May10894454
June11235673
July0341806
August2309772
September38158570
October25231275
November549384
December806027

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 7.3 km from Wayne 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 USC00155524 (Monticello 3 Ne). Public domain.