Balfour climate

Balfour Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hendersonville 1 Ne, 2.8 km from Balfour, elevation 2160 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hendersonville 1 Ne. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 3

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 14May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 12
32°FMay 1Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31
28°FApr 16Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
24°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Feb 27
20°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 6
16°FMar 14Mar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 15

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 3Oct 8Oct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29
32°FOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 28Dec 4
20°FNov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 24
16°FNov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 15

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°F190184179175171167163158152
32°F213205201196192187184178171
28°F241231225221216212208202196
24°F270260254248242237231227219
20°F303293286279272267261254244
16°F338325317309304299292283274

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
99% 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
4,168
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
897
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,282
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,862
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,612
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,540
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,634

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January85909
February685015
March565069
April2939202
May10060427
June13182619
July1286750
August2242705
September46104509
October27313231
November556158
December778018

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 2.8 km from Balfour. 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 USC00313976 (Hendersonville 1 Ne). Public domain.