Scooba climate

Scooba Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gainesville Lock, 31.9 km from Scooba, elevation 125 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gainesville Lock. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 19, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 22

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

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 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 14
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 29
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 14
24°FNov 15Nov 24Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16Dec 26Jan 1Jan 11
20°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 15Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 16Jan 29
16°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 30Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 25Feb 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°F236226221217213208203198190
32°F264255249244239233226221213
28°F296284276271266260254247238
24°F334321312305298290283274262
20°F365355345338332325316306292
16°F365365365365361354345336327

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
88% of years
16°F or colder
53% 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
2,606
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,131
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,785
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,153
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,661
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,324
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,142

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January638156
February472383
March30917223
April12565396
May22210653
June0399849
July0507972
August0488953
September4327772
October109100461
November36112167
December566378

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 31.9 km from Scooba. 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 USC00013160 (Gainesville Lock). Public domain.