Carthage climate

Carthage Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carthage, 0.5 km from Carthage, elevation 978 ft

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 April 4 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 16, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 5

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°FMay 2Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 20Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 20
28°FApr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 7
24°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26
20°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 13
16°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 10Feb 2

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 3Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27Nov 1
32°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 12
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 6
20°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19
16°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 23Dec 28Jan 5

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°F204197192187183178173167161
32°F226217213209204200194190183
28°F249239232227223218214208200
24°F272264257252247241236229221
20°F296286280275270264258250241
16°F323311304298292286280272262

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
4,118
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,693
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,309
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,903
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,641
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,519
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,534

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January948010
February723129
March5448109
April24743286
May72137531
June6324768
July0476941
August1442907
September33206623
October21550321
November505598
December822020

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 0.5 km from Carthage. 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 USC00231356 (Carthage). Public domain.