Wakefield climate

Wakefield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bronx, 6.8 km from Wakefield, elevation 39 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bronx. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 23, first November 30

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°FApr 26Apr 20Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1
32°FApr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 19
28°FApr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 8
24°FMar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 23
20°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 14Feb 6
16°FMar 8Mar 2Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 9Feb 4Jan 30Jan 19

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 21Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 14Nov 20
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4
28°FNov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17
24°FNov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 9Dec 15Dec 19Dec 23Dec 29
20°FDec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 14
16°FDec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 18Jan 27

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°F225219214210206202199194186
32°F250243238233230226222217211
28°F274267261256252247243238231
24°F297289283278273269263258251
20°F320311305300296291285279271
16°F346334328322316310305300292

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
4,583
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,278
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,440
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,096
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,914
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,888
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,012

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97604
February82204
March699029
April37512148
May11365417
June13241678
July0414879
August1361824
September24162588
October23223271
November520160
December808013

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 6.8 km from Wakefield. 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 USC00300961 (Bronx). Public domain.