Salisbury climate

Salisbury Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Salisbury, 1 km from Salisbury, elevation 10 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Salisbury. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 21

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 8May 1Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 25Apr 16Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18
28°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 4
24°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 20
20°FMar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 9Feb 2
16°FMar 3Feb 26Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 12

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 14Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7
24°FNov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27
20°FDec 2Dec 8Dec 15Dec 20Dec 24Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 16
16°FDec 12Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 23Feb 1

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°F214208202197193189183178170
32°F239232227222217213208203194
28°F268261254249244239234228218
24°F300290282277271266260253244
20°F326318311305300295289281273
16°F363345335330324319312306297

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
92% 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
3,764
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,499
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,229
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,761
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,456
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,307
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,324

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January826020
February689019
March553378
April25431253
May81114498
June8294736
July0439903
August0371835
September18204636
October18642329
November4464112
December704035

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 1 km from Salisbury. 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 USC00188000 (Salisbury). Public domain.