Cold Spring climate

Cold Spring Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for West Point, 3.3 km from Cold Spring, elevation 320 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for West Point. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 10, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 12

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 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10
32°FApr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31
28°FApr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19
24°FApr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8
20°FMar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 8Mar 5Feb 28
16°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16

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 7Oct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 3
32°FOct 16Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14
28°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27
24°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9
20°FNov 22Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 9Dec 13Dec 18Dec 25
16°FDec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 14Dec 18Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7

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°F198191187183179176171165158
32°F221215210207204200196191183
28°F243237232227223220216211205
24°F266259253250246242237232224
20°F292282276271267261256251245
16°F310303297293288282277271264

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
5,575
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
928
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,551
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,346
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,283
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,355
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,567

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,13901
February96201
March823015
April4437108
May16744346
June27172596
July1320784
August4270732
September65105491
October3359180
November647028
December96403

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 3.3 km from Cold Spring. 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 USC00309292 (West Point). Public domain.