Clarksdale climate

Clarksdale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Clarksdale, 2 km from Clarksdale, elevation 173 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Clarksdale. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 3, first November 24

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 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 12
32°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 4Feb 26
28°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10
24°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 22
20°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 14Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 22Jan 16Jan 5
16°FFeb 18Feb 10Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 12Jan 6Dec 31

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 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 17
32°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8Dec 18
24°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9
20°FDec 1Dec 12Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 26
16°FDec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 13Jan 19Jan 27Feb 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°F242235229224220215210205197
32°F266259253248243238233227219
28°F299286279273267261256250243
24°F331319310303297289282274264
20°F365353343335329321313304292
16°F365365365365357348339331320

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
90% of years
16°F or colder
61% 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
3,010
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,089
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,444
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,880
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,457
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,183
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,059

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January740133
February552259
March3839169
April14057376
May23222665
June0410859
July0499964
August0480945
September7307750
October12291441
November3939148
December651148

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 2 km from Clarksdale. 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 USC00221707 (Clarksdale). Public domain.