Cold Spring Harbor climate

Cold Spring Harbor Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Centerport, 7.2 km from Cold Spring Harbor, elevation 30 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Centerport. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 215 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 21

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 7May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9
32°FApr 23Apr 19Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30
28°FApr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 21Mar 16
24°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4
20°FMar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Feb 27Feb 19
16°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9Feb 3

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 17Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 26
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7
24°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 9Dec 13Dec 20
20°FNov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 16Dec 20Dec 24Dec 28Jan 4
16°FDec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 20

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°F209203199195191187182178171
32°F234227222218215211207203197
28°F257250245241237233228223216
24°F282272267262257254250245238
20°F304297291287282278273267259
16°F329319313308304299294289280

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
5,218
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
855
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,619
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,352
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,244
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,290
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,495

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,04802
February90402
March797016
April443498
May18431316
June29158579
July1295759
August3257719
September52101500
October29810203
November587042
December87407

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 7.2 km from Cold Spring Harbor. 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 USC00301309 (Centerport). Public domain.