Peapack climate

Peapack Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Somerville Somerset AP, 10.4 km from Peapack, elevation 105 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Somerville Somerset AP. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 18, a growing season of about 176 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 7
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 18
Median at 28°F
last April 11, first October 30

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 23May 18May 14May 10May 7May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23
32°FMay 13May 7May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
28°FApr 28Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28
24°FApr 13Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14
20°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1
16°FMar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 23Feb 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°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 7Oct 9Oct 12Oct 16Oct 21
32°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Nov 2
28°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 13
24°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 30
20°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 14
16°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1

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°F173166161157152148144139133
32°F198190185180176171166161153
28°F223216212207202198192186179
24°F250243235231226222218212205
20°F277268262257251246242236228
16°F306296289284279274269262254

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
5,385
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
859
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,532
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,294
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,215
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,285
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,497

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,08601
February90903
March772018
April4277116
May17841334
June28163585
July1299762
August4246707
September7194473
October35211174
November633035
December92506

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 10.4 km from Peapack. 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 USW00054785 (Somerville Somerset AP). Public domain.