Saucier climate

Saucier Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Saucier Exp Forest, 7.7 km from Saucier, elevation 229 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Saucier Exp Forest. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 22, a growing season of about 260 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 10
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 22
Median at 28°F
last February 19, first December 9

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 12Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 1
32°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 12
28°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24
24°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 16Feb 7Feb 2Jan 30Jan 23Jan 15Jan 4
20°FFeb 23Feb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 22Jan 17Jan 11Jan 5Dec 29
16°FFeb 10Feb 1Jan 29Jan 22Jan 17Jan 13Jan 8Jan 3Dec 26

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 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 28
32°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 14
28°FNov 12Nov 22Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Jan 1Jan 10
24°FDec 2Dec 11Dec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 19Jan 31
20°FDec 15Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 21Jan 30Feb 8
16°FDec 22Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 22Jan 30Feb 8

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°F263252245239233228222216207
32°F291281273266260254248242232
28°F329317307299293286279272259
24°F365354343334327319310302290
20°F365365365365358348339330316
16°F365365365365365365365359336

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
89% of years
20°F or colder
58% of years
16°F or colder
24% 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
1,652
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,355
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,861
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,110
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,447
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,914
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,544

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4406138
February30211175
March18138337
April6197487
May6261719
June0411861
July0488953
August0482947
September1361810
October50156572
November22434283
December38611166

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 7.7 km from Saucier. 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 USC00227840 (Saucier Exp Forest). Public domain.