Orient climate

Orient Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Orient Pt SP, 3.8 km from Orient, elevation 3 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Orient Pt SP. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first December 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°FMay 15May 10May 6May 2Apr 30Apr 25Apr 20Apr 15Apr 9
32°FMay 2Apr 22Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25
28°FApr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11
24°FMar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1
20°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17
16°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 10Feb 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 19Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 20
32°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16
24°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 10Dec 13Dec 17Dec 22Dec 29
20°FDec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 19Dec 22Dec 25Dec 29Jan 3Jan 8
16°FDec 15Dec 21Dec 26Dec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 21

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°F215206201195190184179172165
32°F243237231225221217210204195
28°F271263257253249245241237229
24°F292284279274269264261256249
20°F309302297292288284279273266
16°F329321315309305301296291284

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
5,131
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
793
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,496
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,212
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,103
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,169
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,405

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,01400
February92100
March79702
April467055
May2593216
June37109522
July0299764
August1267731
September35107522
October2478238
November533050
December82303

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 3.8 km from Orient. 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 USC00306276 (Orient Pt SP). Public domain.