Bude climate

Bude Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Meadville, 3.4 km from Bude, elevation 345 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Meadville. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last February 28, 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 17Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16Mar 7
32°FApr 7Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 20
28°FMar 26Mar 15Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 8Jan 31
24°FMar 13Mar 4Feb 25Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 20Jan 3
20°FMar 2Feb 16Feb 5Feb 1Jan 27Jan 20Jan 12Jan 2Dec 26
16°FFeb 11Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 9Jan 1Dec 29Dec 17

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 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 21
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 23Nov 30Dec 6
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 18Jan 1
24°FNov 19Nov 30Dec 4Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 9Jan 20
20°FDec 7Dec 17Dec 26Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 26Feb 6
16°FDec 10Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 7Jan 12Jan 19Jan 28Feb 5

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°F248238231225218213208202194
32°F275265256250243237230222212
28°F310298289281274268259250238
24°F357338330321312304295286270
20°F365365365358346337331320305
16°F365365365365365365365353337

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
96% of years
20°F or colder
70% of years
16°F or colder
31% 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
2,094
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,344
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,448
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,746
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,168
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,737
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,456

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January539390
February3829133
March22039308
April9096458
May14257708
June0428877
July0511976
August0501965
September4331777
October73138534
November29823222
December4758120

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 3.4 km from Bude. 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 USC00225704 (Meadville). Public domain.