Metcalfe climate

Metcalfe Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greenville Asos, 3.8 km from Metcalfe, elevation 128 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenville Asos. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 247 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last February 27, first November 26

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 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 5
32°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21
28°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31
24°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 20Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 29Jan 20Jan 7
20°FFeb 17Feb 8Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 11Jan 3Dec 25
16°FFeb 9Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 17Jan 11Jan 5Dec 31Dec 23

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 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 18
32°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 21
24°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 2Dec 8Dec 15Dec 24Dec 31Jan 5Jan 16
20°FDec 2Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 19Feb 1
16°FDec 15Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 12Jan 19Jan 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°F246237232227222218213207199
32°F272264257251247242237231223
28°F305294285279273268262256245
24°F347333324316308301294285274
20°F365365360351344337331322311
16°F365365365365365365359347334

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
37% 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
2,619
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,295
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,954
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,340
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,858
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,514
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,324

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January651259
February484586
March31120224
April10576424
May15249699
June0431880
July05411,006
August0515980
September4334780
October104107471
November35714173
December588477

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 3.8 km from Metcalfe. 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 USW00013939 (Greenville Asos). Public domain.