Falkner climate

Falkner Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ripley, 11.5 km from Falkner, elevation 525 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ripley. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 210 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 10

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

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 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1
32°FOct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 14
28°FOct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 29
24°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 19
20°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 24Jan 1Jan 10
16°FDec 1Dec 11Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 28

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°F208203198194190187183178173
32°F234226219215210206202197190
28°F262252246240235231226218209
24°F293281274268262256249242233
20°F329316307301295287279272259
16°F359347340333327319311305294

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
92% 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
3,541
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,662
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,607
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,121
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,780
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,587
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,547

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January808028
February626138
March4488137
April20540308
May46149567
June2327775
July0442907
August0416880
September18226658
October19948335
November4775108
December712138

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 11.5 km from Falkner. 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 USC00227467 (Ripley). Public domain.