Peekskill climate

Peekskill Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Yorktown Hts 1W, 10.6 km from Peekskill, elevation 670 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Yorktown Hts 1W. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around October 19, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 7
Median at 32°F
last April 25, first October 19
Median at 28°F
last April 13, 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°FMay 21May 17May 13May 10May 7May 4May 2Apr 29Apr 25
32°FMay 8May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13
28°FApr 26Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 13Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3
24°FApr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 4Apr 2Apr 1Mar 28Mar 22
20°FApr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10
16°FMar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1

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 26Sep 30Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 9Oct 13Oct 17Oct 22
32°FOct 4Oct 8Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30Nov 3
28°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14
24°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10
16°FNov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12Dec 17Dec 25

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°F172164160155152148143139133
32°F193186182178174170166162155
28°F215209206201198194190185179
24°F241234229225222218214210202
20°F266258253249244240235231225
16°F288279273268264259255249242

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
6,234
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
590
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,838
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,690
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,692
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,837
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,138

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,20601
February1,02901
March896013
April521576
May24924254
June58106498
July7220679
August13174626
September11256397
October4175126
November707020
December1,02103

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 10.6 km from Peekskill. 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 USC00309670 (Yorktown Hts 1W). Public domain.