Pickens climate

Pickens Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pickens, 0.7 km from Pickens, elevation 238 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pickens. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first November 23

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 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 27Mar 23Mar 17Mar 11
32°FApr 6Mar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 6
24°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 12Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 17
20°FFeb 25Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 29Jan 24Jan 17Jan 9Dec 30
16°FFeb 13Feb 2Jan 30Jan 27Jan 21Jan 16Jan 10Jan 5Dec 30

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 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
32°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 21Nov 30
28°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8Dec 22
24°FNov 13Nov 22Nov 30Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 11
20°FDec 1Dec 12Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 30
16°FDec 22Dec 30Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 12Jan 18Jan 24Feb 2

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°F238229223218213209205199190
32°F266257251245239234228222213
28°F301289281274267261255249240
24°F337328319310303296288277265
20°F365365354344336331323315304
16°F365365365365365358348340332

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
81% of years
16°F or colder
52% 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
2,487
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,975
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,740
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,087
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,572
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,204
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,002

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January609378
February4457105
March27619241
April12764393
May19196642
June0374823
July0462927
August0443908
September6299744
October12191442
November34512175
December539595

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 0.7 km from Pickens. 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 USC00226926 (Pickens). Public domain.