Poplar Bluff climate

Poplar Bluff Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Poplar Bluff, 1.1 km from Poplar Bluff, elevation 370 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Poplar Bluff. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 16, 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 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 23
32°FApr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 10
28°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28
24°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 2Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15
20°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31
16°FMar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 16Feb 10Feb 5Feb 1Jan 26Jan 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 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
32°FOct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
24°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17
20°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1
16°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 12Dec 20Dec 24Dec 30Jan 1Jan 7Jan 17

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°F219213208204200195191185178
32°F244237231226222218214208201
28°F269261255250244240234228221
24°F293284277271267262257251243
20°F319309302297291286279270261
16°F345333327320314308302294284

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
98% 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
4,027
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,749
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,391
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,975
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,704
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,581
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,594

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January93309
February717018
March5155100
April22333284
May55155566
June3370817
July0482947
August0434899
September23224651
October20544319
November523380
December831014

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 1.1 km from Poplar Bluff. 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 USC00236791 (Poplar Bluff). Public domain.