Meridian climate

Meridian Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Meridian Key Fld, 5 km from Meridian, elevation 294 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Meridian Key Fld. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 239 days.

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

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 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 17
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 2
28°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 11Dec 27
24°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 8Jan 20
20°FDec 5Dec 14Dec 23Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 15Jan 23Feb 4
16°FDec 16Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 12Jan 17Jan 23Feb 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°F239231224220215210206201193
32°F269259251245239234228222214
28°F307294285278271264258251241
24°F347334325318308301294284272
20°F365365358349341334329316304
16°F365365365365365365353342331

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
74% of years
16°F or colder
39% 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
2,115
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,478
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,558
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,856
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,279
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,850
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,580

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January541592
February38211133
March23737291
April8597464
May10268722
June0448898
July05471,012
August0533998
September2370817
October83132517
November29721214
December4799120

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 5 km from Meridian. 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 USW00013865 (Meridian Key Fld). Public domain.