Maurice climate

Maurice Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lafayette, 13.5 km from Maurice, elevation 25 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lafayette. 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 February 26 and the first fall freeze around November 28, a growing season of about 279 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 11, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last February 26, first November 28
Median at 28°F
last February 5, first December 14

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 3Mar 28Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 17
32°FMar 20Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 5Jan 29
28°FMar 8Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 16Jan 2
24°FFeb 27Feb 16Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 13Jan 5Dec 24
20°FFeb 20Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 19Jan 12Jan 5Dec 31Dec 21
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 4
32°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 26
28°FNov 18Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 23Jan 1Jan 7Jan 18
24°FDec 5Dec 13Dec 21Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 25Feb 4
20°FDec 13Dec 24Jan 1Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 27Feb 8
16°F–––––––––

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°F279269261255250245239232221
32°F312302293285279272264258247
28°F352338331321313307299289276
24°F365365365357346338332320307
20°F365365365365365365362348333
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
93% of years
24°F or colder
67% of years
20°F or colder
32% of years
16°F or colder
9% 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
1,575
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,716
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,299
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,548
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,879
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,339
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,945

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January43310144
February29319193
March16556370
April52135533
May5316777
June0472922
July0529994
August05351,000
September1395844
October44186609
November20545312
December37718182

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 13.5 km from Maurice. 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 USC00165021 (Lafayette). Public domain.