Exeter climate

Exeter Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cassville, 6.6 km from Exeter, elevation 1376 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cassville. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 194 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 3, 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 8May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 9
32°FApr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 15
24°FApr 11Apr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 1
20°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21
16°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10

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 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27Nov 1
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 10
28°FOct 20Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19
24°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30
20°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10
16°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 25

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°F195188183178173169165160153
32°F215208203198194190185179173
28°F236228223218214209205199192
24°F260252245240235230224217208
20°F279272267263257251245238228
16°F306297289282277272267261252

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
4,518
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,212
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,532
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,176
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,961
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,898
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,979

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97909
February767019
March579588
April30820217
May11388445
June10232672
July1360824
August3335796
September55139536
October25630269
November570373
December877013

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 6.6 km from Exeter. 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 USC00231383 (Cassville). Public domain.