Piney Point climate

Piney Point Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for St Inigoes Webster Nolf, 6.8 km from Piney Point, elevation 21 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for St Inigoes Webster Nolf. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 19, 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 24Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27
32°FApr 11Apr 7Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 14
28°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28
24°FMar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 13
20°FMar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 13Feb 8Feb 2Jan 25
16°FFeb 28Feb 19Feb 11Feb 6Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 17Jan 8

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 17Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15
24°FNov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 11Dec 16Dec 22Dec 28Jan 4
20°FDec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 24
16°FDec 11Dec 21Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 24Feb 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°F226219214209205202197191183
32°F250243238233229224221215209
28°F278271265260255250244238229
24°F310301294288283277272266256
20°F338328321313307303296289280
16°F365359347338334329323314304

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
81% 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
3,867
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,477
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,139
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,687
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,397
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,265
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,290

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January842015
February704021
March577277
April26724236
May77107495
June3312759
July0440905
August0357822
September21190619
October19242325
November455397
December729027

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 6.8 km from Piney Point. 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 USW00003757 (St Inigoes Webster Nolf). Public domain.