Lilbourn climate

Lilbourn Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for New Madrid, 7.4 km from Lilbourn, elevation 302 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for New Madrid. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 15

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°FApr 25Apr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24
32°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
28°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
24°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14
20°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1
16°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 14

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 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 5
32°FOct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 19
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
24°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19
20°FNov 17Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23Dec 29Jan 5
16°FNov 30Dec 8Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 24

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°F219212208203200196192186179
32°F244236230225220216212207201
28°F267259253248243239234229221
24°F295285277272266261256250241
20°F322312304297291284278270261
16°F349336329322315309303295283

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
97% 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
3,949
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,755
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,451
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,027
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,747
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,615
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,616

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January910010
February713017
March5205101
April21238300
May45163583
June2370817
July0480945
August1425890
September26218642
October20052335
November515489
December806019

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 7.4 km from Lilbourn. 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 USC00236045 (New Madrid). Public domain.