Fredericktown climate

Fredericktown Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fredericktown, 2 km from Fredericktown, elevation 760 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fredericktown. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 16, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 3, first October 6
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 16
Median at 28°F
last April 10, first October 26

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 18May 13May 9May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 18
32°FMay 8May 3Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8
28°FApr 27Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 24
24°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12
20°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28
16°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13

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 24Sep 29Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18
32°FOct 1Oct 6Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 20Oct 24Oct 28
28°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7
24°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 23
20°FNov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 20

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°F173167163158154151147143137
32°F194187182178174170166161155
28°F218211205201197193189184176
24°F242235229224220216212207200
20°F269261255250245240234229222
16°F293283278273267262256250242

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
4,931
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,138
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,219
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,920
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,766
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,749
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,869

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,04807
February832013
March643367
April32218205
May11685438
June13232669
July1350814
August4302762
September69127510
October32120216
November625156
December938011

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 2 km from Fredericktown. 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 USC00233038 (Fredericktown). Public domain.