Wayne climate

Wayne Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wayne, 0.8 km from Wayne, elevation 1465 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wayne. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 163 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last April 29, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 19, first October 21

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 20May 15May 13May 10May 7May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 24
32°FMay 12May 7May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15
28°FMay 4Apr 29Apr 25Apr 23Apr 19Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 5
24°FApr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 26
20°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16
16°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6

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 17Sep 22Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 9Oct 13
32°FSep 27Sep 30Oct 4Oct 8Oct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22
28°FOct 7Oct 12Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 29Nov 2
24°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
20°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21
16°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 29

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°F162157152148145141136132125
32°F183176171167163158154149142
28°F203196191187184180176170162
24°F222215210205202198194190184
20°F240233227221217212208204197
16°F259251245240236231226220212

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
6,912
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
854
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,096
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,999
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,027
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,174
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,448

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,37900
February1,12701
March903122
April524593
May22349313
June35187603
July6292752
August14224676
September12787417
October4619133
November866018
December1,24900

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 0.8 km from Wayne. 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 USC00259045 (Wayne). Public domain.