Crocker climate

Crocker Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Waynesville 2 W, 15.4 km from Crocker, elevation 890 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Waynesville 2 W. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 185 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first October 31

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 12May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 12
32°FMay 2Apr 27Apr 23Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 23Mar 16
24°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4
20°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
16°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 9

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°FSep 27Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 23
32°FOct 6Oct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1
28°FOct 16Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 14
24°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23Nov 28
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10
16°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23

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°F183176171167163159155151145
32°F208200194189185180175170162
28°F232224219214209205201194187
24°F256248242236231227221216208
20°F282274266261256251246239231
16°F302292286280276270265259250

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
4,453
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,399
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,803
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,435
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,210
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,130
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,190

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January984012
February773123
March576689
April27832250
May98109478
June9271712
July1404868
August2369832
September53169567
October25735278
November559482
December863018

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 15.4 km from Crocker. 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 USC00238777 (Waynesville 2 W). Public domain.