Sharon climate

Sharon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Laurel, 12.9 km from Sharon, elevation 225 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Laurel. 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 12, a growing season of about 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 12
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 14Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 7
32°FApr 1Mar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
28°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31
24°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 24Jan 12
20°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 4Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 7Dec 31
16°FFeb 12Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 20Jan 13Jan 8Jan 3Dec 25

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 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 8Dec 21
24°FNov 16Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Dec 30Jan 4Jan 14
20°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 20Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 17Jan 27
16°FDec 13Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 19Jan 26Feb 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°F242234228223218214209205197
32°F273262255249244238232226219
28°F303294285278271265258251242
24°F341331320312305298289280267
20°F365365356347338332323312299
16°F365365365365365364354343331

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
82% of years
16°F or colder
48% 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
2,138
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,342
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,406
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,711
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,139
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,710
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,438

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January554486
February3857129
March23632289
April8690457
May11255710
June0432882
July0519984
August0502967
September3349796
October85124507
November29619213
December4848120

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 12.9 km from Sharon. 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 USC00224939 (Laurel). Public domain.