Cleveland climate

Cleveland Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cleveland, 2 km from Cleveland, elevation 138 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cleveland. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 248 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 27

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 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 8
32°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 8
24°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 20
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 13Jan 4
16°FFeb 18Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 9Jan 1

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 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20
32°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 13Dec 24
24°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 4Dec 11Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13
20°FDec 6Dec 16Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 21Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 12Jan 18Jan 22Feb 1Feb 8

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°F248239233228224218214210201
32°F272264257252248243237231221
28°F303291284276271265259253243
24°F337328317309303296289279269
20°F365358347338333326318309300
16°F365365365365362351342334322

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
86% of years
16°F or colder
49% 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
2,824
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,333
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,853
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,269
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,819
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,505
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,341

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January706145
February528376
March34017207
April12277412
May18254701
June0436886
July0532997
August05381,003
September5344789
October111116475
November37613161
December618367

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 Cleveland. 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 USC00221738 (Cleveland). Public domain.