Standing Pine Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carthage. 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 7, a growing season of about 233 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 3, first October 29
- Median at 32°F
- last March 19, first November 7
- Median at 28°F
- last March 3, first November 21
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 22 | Apr 15 | Apr 10 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 2 | Mar 29 | Mar 24 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 |
| 28°F | Mar 24 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 18 | Feb 12 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 23 |
| 20°F | Mar 1 | Feb 20 | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 20 | Jan 13 | Jan 1 |
| 16°F | Feb 17 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 20 | Jan 15 | Jan 8 | Jan 2 | Dec 28 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 12 |
| 32°F | Oct 24 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 26 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 12 |
| 24°F | Nov 13 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 22 | Dec 31 | Jan 6 |
| 20°F | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 16 | Jan 28 |
| 16°F | Dec 15 | Dec 25 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 26 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 231 | 222 | 216 | 212 | 208 | 203 | 199 | 192 | 186 |
| 32°F | 258 | 250 | 244 | 238 | 233 | 227 | 221 | 216 | 208 |
| 28°F | 292 | 283 | 275 | 267 | 261 | 256 | 250 | 244 | 235 |
| 24°F | 329 | 316 | 307 | 299 | 293 | 287 | 280 | 273 | 260 |
| 20°F | 365 | 350 | 342 | 334 | 329 | 321 | 312 | 305 | 292 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 349 | 342 | 333 | 322 |
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
- 89% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 60% 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
- 2,548
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,159
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,869
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,229
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,731
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,384
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,189
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 618 | 3 | 68 |
| February | 456 | 6 | 92 |
| March | 290 | 23 | 242 |
| April | 120 | 74 | 409 |
| May | 22 | 212 | 654 |
| June | 0 | 398 | 847 |
| July | 0 | 508 | 973 |
| August | 0 | 493 | 958 |
| September | 5 | 329 | 774 |
| October | 113 | 96 | 454 |
| November | 351 | 15 | 181 |
| December | 572 | 4 | 80 |
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 13.1 km from Standing Pine. 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 USC00221489 (Carthage). Public domain.