Cobleskill climate

Cobleskill Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cobleskill 2 Ese, 3.7 km from Cobleskill, elevation 1169 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cobleskill 2 Ese. 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 May 9 and the first fall freeze around October 4, a growing season of about 148 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 20, first September 25
Median at 32°F
last May 9, first October 4
Median at 28°F
last April 27, first October 15

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°FJun 4May 30May 26May 23May 20May 17May 13May 10May 5
32°FMay 26May 20May 16May 12May 9May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 26
28°FMay 15May 8May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 14
24°FMay 1Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2
20°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23
16°FApr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15

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 9Sep 15Sep 19Sep 22Sep 25Sep 27Oct 1Oct 3Oct 7
32°FSep 19Sep 25Sep 29Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 10Oct 14Oct 20
28°FOct 1Oct 4Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 19Oct 23Oct 29Nov 3
24°FOct 10Oct 17Oct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
20°FOct 24Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26
16°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8

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°F146139134130126122118113105
32°F168161155152148143139134126
28°F195187181175171166161156148
24°F218212206201196191186179170
20°F239232226222218214209204197
16°F259251246242238234229224216

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
7,418
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
381
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,140
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,106
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,209
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,450
Growing degree days, base 60°F
832

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,36201
February1,18200
March1,06305
April647246
May31417205
June9574431
July22143586
August42110534
September18734307
October519181
November827012
December1,15801

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 3.7 km from Cobleskill. 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 USC00301595 (Cobleskill 2 Ese). Public domain.