Ship Bottom climate

Ship Bottom Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brant Beach-Beach Haven, 10.3 km from Ship Bottom, elevation 5 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brant Beach-Beach Haven. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 28

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 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30
32°FApr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16
28°FApr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4
24°FMar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20
20°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11Feb 4
16°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Feb 2Jan 28Jan 18

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 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 4
28°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17
24°FNov 21Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1
20°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 17
16°FDec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 12Jan 16Jan 22Feb 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°F227219215211208204200194188
32°F252245240235230225221216210
28°F277268263257253247243238231
24°F300293286282276271265258251
20°F323314308304299295289283274
16°F350336331326319313307303295

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
95% 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
4,737
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,082
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,066
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,730
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,578
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,594
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,768

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96201
February83201
March735012
April441285
May17630321
June22176604
July0352817
August0333798
September22167595
October22322276
November524057
December801010

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 10.3 km from Ship Bottom. 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 USC00280990 (Brant Beach-Beach Haven). Public domain.