Edison climate

Edison Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for New Brunswick 3 Se, 5.2 km from Edison, elevation 111 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for New Brunswick 3 Se. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 7

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 14May 9May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 14
32°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 15Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2
28°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18
24°FApr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5
20°FMar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 14Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 22
16°FMar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 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°FOct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 30
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 8
28°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
24°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 16Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 18Dec 24
16°FDec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 21Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 12

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°F189183177173169164159155147
32°F214206202197193188184179171
28°F239232227223218215211206199
24°F266259254249245241236231224
20°F294284278273269264259254245
16°F321311305300295290285278270

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
5,101
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,037
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,877
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,600
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,486
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,525
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,707

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,03503
February88504
March751124
April41110127
May16451355
June24197624
July1343807
August2292755
September55128524
October31415203
November590049
December871010

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 5.2 km from Edison. 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 USC00286055 (New Brunswick 3 Se). Public domain.