Drew Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cleveland 3 N. 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 11, a growing season of about 241 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 30, first November 1
- Median at 32°F
- last March 15, first November 11
- Median at 28°F
- last March 2, first November 25
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 14 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 9 |
| 32°F | Apr 3 | Mar 28 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 2 | Feb 24 |
| 28°F | Mar 22 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 27 | Feb 23 | Feb 15 | Feb 5 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 3 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Feb 1 | Jan 26 | Jan 15 |
| 20°F | Feb 28 | Feb 17 | Feb 7 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 21 | Jan 15 | Jan 9 | Dec 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 11 | Feb 2 | Jan 29 | Jan 23 | Jan 17 | Jan 13 | Jan 8 | Jan 3 | Dec 26 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 17 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 18 |
| 32°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Dec 2 |
| 28°F | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 14 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 11 |
| 20°F | Dec 1 | Dec 14 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 28 |
| 16°F | Dec 16 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 17 | Jan 22 | Jan 31 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 240 | 232 | 225 | 221 | 217 | 212 | 207 | 202 | 193 |
| 32°F | 266 | 257 | 251 | 246 | 241 | 235 | 230 | 225 | 217 |
| 28°F | 298 | 287 | 279 | 273 | 267 | 262 | 255 | 248 | 241 |
| 24°F | 336 | 326 | 316 | 309 | 302 | 294 | 287 | 279 | 265 |
| 20°F | 365 | 360 | 352 | 343 | 335 | 330 | 321 | 309 | 299 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 348 | 340 | 329 |
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
- 98% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 85% 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
- 2,874
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,204
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,658
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,071
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,632
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,338
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,194
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 704 | 1 | 43 |
| February | 532 | 2 | 62 |
| March | 357 | 13 | 188 |
| April | 132 | 72 | 398 |
| May | 15 | 241 | 691 |
| June | 0 | 435 | 885 |
| July | 0 | 522 | 987 |
| August | 0 | 497 | 962 |
| September | 9 | 311 | 751 |
| October | 119 | 96 | 449 |
| November | 379 | 12 | 159 |
| December | 625 | 2 | 57 |
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 17.4 km from Drew. 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 USC00221743 (Cleveland 3 N). Public domain.