Avon Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Frisco 2NNE. 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 March 1 and the first fall freeze around December 20, a growing season of about 292 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 17, first December 1
- Median at 32°F
- last March 1, first December 20
- Median at 28°F
- last February 11, first January 4
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 3 | Feb 26 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 15 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 12 | Feb 3 |
| 28°F | Mar 7 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 | Feb 11 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 26 | Jan 14 |
| 24°F | Feb 24 | Feb 14 | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 19 | Jan 12 | Jan 4 |
| 20°F | Feb 17 | Feb 6 | Feb 1 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 22 | Jan 17 | Jan 11 | Jan 5 |
| 16°F | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Jan 30 | Jan 27 | Jan 23 | Jan 18 | Jan 14 | Jan 10 | Jan 5 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 24 |
| 32°F | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 12 |
| 28°F | Dec 11 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 31 |
| 24°F | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 19 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 6 |
| 20°F | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 17 | Jan 21 | Jan 26 | Jan 29 | Feb 1 | Feb 8 |
| 16°F | Jan 5 | Jan 8 | Jan 13 | Jan 17 | Jan 19 | Jan 25 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 289 | 280 | 273 | 267 | 261 | 256 | 251 | 244 | 237 |
| 32°F | 319 | 309 | 302 | 297 | 292 | 286 | 281 | 274 | 262 |
| 28°F | 354 | 339 | 333 | 325 | 318 | 311 | 306 | 300 | 291 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 348 | 338 | 334 | 325 | 313 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 362 | 344 | 332 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 362 |
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
- 94% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 70% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 33% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 11% 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
- 2,235
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,062
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,031
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,326
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,747
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,325
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,099
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 562 | 1 | 73 |
| February | 452 | 1 | 84 |
| March | 351 | 7 | 168 |
| April | 138 | 45 | 362 |
| May | 21 | 176 | 620 |
| June | 0 | 374 | 823 |
| July | 0 | 487 | 952 |
| August | 0 | 479 | 944 |
| September | 2 | 344 | 792 |
| October | 51 | 122 | 536 |
| November | 224 | 22 | 262 |
| December | 434 | 4 | 131 |
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 14.1 km from Avon. 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 USC00313336 (Frisco 2NNE). Public domain.