Lucedale Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mobile. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 268 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 17, first November 13
- Median at 32°F
- last March 3, first November 25
- Median at 28°F
- last February 13, first December 14
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 5 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 | Feb 26 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 27 | Feb 22 | Feb 15 | Feb 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Feb 2 | Jan 28 | Jan 17 |
| 24°F | Mar 2 | Feb 19 | Feb 9 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 12 | Dec 31 |
| 20°F | Feb 19 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 26 | Jan 20 | Jan 16 | Jan 10 | Jan 5 | Dec 28 |
| 16°F | Feb 8 | Feb 3 | Jan 29 | Jan 24 | Jan 18 | Jan 13 | Jan 9 | Jan 6 | Jan 2 |
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 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 4 |
| 32°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 22 |
| 28°F | Nov 17 | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 17 |
| 24°F | Dec 4 | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Feb 3 |
| 20°F | Dec 22 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 7 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F | Jan 2 | Jan 5 | Jan 7 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 |
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 | 268 | 259 | 252 | 247 | 242 | 236 | 230 | 224 | 216 |
| 32°F | 300 | 289 | 281 | 275 | 268 | 263 | 256 | 250 | 242 |
| 28°F | 337 | 326 | 316 | 309 | 303 | 296 | 287 | 277 | 265 |
| 24°F | 365 | 362 | 350 | 341 | 335 | 328 | 319 | 308 | 297 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 347 | 335 | 322 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 349 |
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
- 99% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 81% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 44% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 14% 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
- 1,616
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,599
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 10,139
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,384
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,719
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,187
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,807
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 439 | 8 | 139 |
| February | 296 | 16 | 186 |
| March | 175 | 47 | 351 |
| April | 55 | 112 | 508 |
| May | 5 | 294 | 755 |
| June | 0 | 453 | 903 |
| July | 0 | 527 | 992 |
| August | 0 | 522 | 987 |
| September | 1 | 395 | 844 |
| October | 49 | 172 | 589 |
| November | 218 | 37 | 289 |
| December | 380 | 16 | 176 |
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 43.2 km from Lucedale. 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 USW00013894 (Mobile). Public domain.