Oxford climate

Oxford Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for University, 1.2 km from Oxford, elevation 408 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for University. 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 31, 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 31
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 12

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 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 3Mar 30
32°FApr 21Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 13
28°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 5Feb 27
24°FMar 29Mar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 10
20°FMar 13Mar 6Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 22
16°FMar 5Feb 23Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 14Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 9Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
28°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
24°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18
20°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 6
16°FNov 29Dec 8Dec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 2Jan 7Jan 14Jan 24

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°F211203199194190185181177171
32°F234226220215210206201196189
28°F263253246240235230224218210
24°F298285278270264258252245235
20°F331319309303296289280272260
16°F361347339333327318310303291

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
90% 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
3,068
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,982
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,299
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,741
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,324
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,052
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,938

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January731142
February550265
March37215189
April16359362
May34203634
June1382831
July0488953
August0459924
September14281717
October15279403
November40411150
December649256

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 1.2 km from Oxford. 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 USC00229079 (University). Public domain.