Lacona climate

Lacona Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pulaski, 9 km from Lacona, elevation 399 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pulaski. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around October 14, a growing season of about 156 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 23, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last May 10, first October 14
Median at 28°F
last April 28, first November 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°FJun 6May 31May 28May 26May 23May 20May 17May 13May 6
32°FMay 26May 21May 17May 13May 10May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 25
28°FMay 15May 9May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 20Apr 15
24°FMay 1Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3
20°FApr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
16°FApr 9Apr 5Apr 2Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14

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 17Sep 22Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 10Oct 16
32°FSep 29Oct 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 23Oct 27Nov 2
28°FOct 11Oct 19Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 28
20°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8
16°FNov 17Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17

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°F151146140134130127122117110
32°F178171165160156151147141134
28°F203197192187183178174168159
24°F231224218214210206202196188
20°F250244240235231228224219212
16°F268261256252248244240235229

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
7,698
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
305
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,883
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,888
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,039
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,317
Growing degree days, base 60°F
729

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,39900
February1,20700
March1,11600
April707023
May37113170
June11850384
July29117553
August3992518
September19831297
October507383
November821011
December1,18900

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 9 km from Lacona. 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 USC00306867 (Pulaski). Public domain.