Brooklyn climate

Brooklyn Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ny Ave V Brooklyn, 6.8 km from Brooklyn, elevation 20 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ny Ave V Brooklyn. 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 19, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first December 1

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 19Apr 15Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30
32°FApr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16
28°FApr 2Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4
24°FMar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20
20°FMar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4
16°FMar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 13Feb 7Feb 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 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 22
32°FNov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 5
28°FNov 16Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18
24°FNov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 12Dec 16Dec 21Dec 25Jan 2
20°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 18Dec 22Dec 26Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 16
16°FDec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 21Jan 30

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°F229221216213209205202197190
32°F255248243238233229225221215
28°F276269264259255250245240234
24°F301293287281276271267261254
20°F324316308303299295289283274
16°F351338332326320313308302295

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
94% 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
4,600
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,187
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,318
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,961
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,780
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,756
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,892

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97302
February81903
March699020
April3787134
May13354386
June16215649
July0389854
August0344809
September26159583
October23118263
November515066
December811010

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 6.8 km from Brooklyn. 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 USC00305796 (Ny Ave V Brooklyn). Public domain.