Lansing climate

Lansing Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ithaca Cornell Univ, 4.6 km from Lansing, elevation 960 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ithaca Cornell Univ. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 3, a growing season of about 145 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 24, first September 23
Median at 32°F
last May 11, first October 3
Median at 28°F
last April 30, first October 18

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 6Jun 2May 30May 27May 24May 21May 18May 13May 8
32°FMay 26May 21May 18May 14May 11May 8May 4Apr 30Apr 27
28°FMay 16May 10May 6May 2Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17
24°FMay 2Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4
20°FApr 19Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 24
16°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 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 10Sep 14Sep 17Sep 21Sep 23Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 6
32°FSep 21Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 11Oct 15Oct 21
28°FOct 1Oct 4Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 31Nov 4
24°FOct 13Oct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17
20°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
16°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14

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°F141134129125122117113109102
32°F164157153149145141136131125
28°F191183178173169164158153146
24°F218212207202198193189184174
20°F244237231227223219215209201
16°F263256251246242238234230222

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
7,207
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
416
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,228
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,182
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,276
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,505
Growing degree days, base 60°F
877

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,30801
February1,14500
March1,04508
April642352
May31424221
June9581438
July27148586
August42116539
September18440317
October501395
November792018
December1,11302

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 4.6 km from Lansing. 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 USC00304174 (Ithaca Cornell Univ). Public domain.