Bernice climate

Bernice Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Farmerville, 24 km from Bernice, elevation 180 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Farmerville. 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 March 14 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 246 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 29

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°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 14Mar 7
32°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24
28°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 14Feb 4
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 25Jan 14
20°FMar 1Feb 17Feb 8Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Jan 6Dec 26
16°FFeb 10Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 18Jan 13Jan 9Jan 4Dec 28

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 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4
28°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 17Dec 27
24°FNov 19Nov 29Dec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 8Jan 19
20°FDec 7Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 24Feb 6
16°FDec 22Jan 1Jan 3Jan 6Jan 10Jan 14Jan 19Jan 28Feb 6

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°F249239233228223218213208200
32°F273264258252246242236230222
28°F310298288280274268262256246
24°F347335326318310302294285272
20°F365365362354343334328318304
16°F365365365365365365365352336

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
75% of years
16°F or colder
29% 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
2,368
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,380
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,244
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,587
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,056
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,672
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,445

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January596374
February4365104
March27425254
April10084437
May13250702
June0435885
July05461,011
August05461,010
September4348795
October88116496
November31817198
December538791

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 24 km from Bernice. 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 USC00163079 (Farmerville). Public domain.