Woods Hole climate

Woods Hole Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Woods Hole Golf Club, 1.3 km from Woods Hole, elevation 80 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Woods Hole Golf Club. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 213 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 23

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 9May 3May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 23Apr 20Apr 18Apr 12
32°FApr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31
28°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15
24°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 5
20°FMar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 23
16°FMar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 22Feb 14Feb 6

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 16Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12
32°FOct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 16Nov 20Nov 27
28°FNov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 18Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 16Dec 22
20°FDec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 21Dec 24Dec 29Jan 5
16°FDec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17

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°F207201196193188185181176167
32°F232226221217213209205200193
28°F260252247243239234230224218
24°F283275269264260256251245238
20°F302296290286282277273267259
16°F324315308304300296291286279

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
5,392
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
568
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,063
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,812
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,752
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,861
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,133

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,02000
February89700
March86202
April542034
May2781195
June5959450
July2212676
August1211674
September5280479
October2915203
November557035
December83205

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 1.3 km from Woods Hole. 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 USC00199891 (Woods Hole Golf Club). Public domain.