Kosciusko climate

Kosciusko Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kosciusko, 1 km from Kosciusko, elevation 410 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kosciusko. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 5, 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 19Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
32°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28
28°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 13
24°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 27
20°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 15Feb 8Feb 3Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 6
16°FFeb 18Feb 7Feb 1Jan 30Jan 24Jan 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 19Oct 23Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 16
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Dec 1
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 18
24°FNov 15Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 9
20°FDec 5Dec 14Dec 23Dec 30Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Feb 1
16°FDec 20Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 9Jan 14Jan 18Jan 24Feb 3

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°F237228222217213208204199191
32°F263253247243239233228221214
28°F295284276270264258252247239
24°F329316309302294288281270260
20°F364347337332327318310303293
16°F365365365364355346338331318

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
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
2,777
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,989
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,515
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,911
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,451
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,134
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,980

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January663156
February497379
March33216209
April13563386
May24199640
June0380829
July0479944
August0463928
September8292733
October13679417
November38610153
December595476

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 1 km from Kosciusko. 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 USC00224776 (Kosciusko). Public domain.