Montauk climate

Montauk Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Montauk AP, 4.9 km from Montauk, elevation 7 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Montauk AP. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 26, first November 27

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 6May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 9
32°FApr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11
24°FMar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27
20°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12
16°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 23

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 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 29
28°FNov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13
24°FNov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 22Dec 29
20°FDec 5Dec 11Dec 16Dec 20Dec 25Dec 29Jan 1Jan 7Jan 14
16°FDec 18Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 22Feb 2

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°F212206201197194190187182176
32°F240234229225222218213209202
28°F269261255251247243238234227
24°F294285281276272268262257249
20°F317308302298293288284279271
16°F342333326320315309305299291

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
97% 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
5,041
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
715
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,436
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,129
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,013
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,086
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,320

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97201
February86000
March79105
April508144
May2557224
June4399507
July1257721
August2246710
September4295503
October25310237
November524052
December792011

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 4.9 km from Montauk. 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 USW00054780 (Montauk AP). Public domain.