Belhaven climate

Belhaven Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Belhaven 3 Ne, 5.1 km from Belhaven, elevation 0 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Belhaven 3 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 March 25 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 25, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 12, first November 27

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 20Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 21
32°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 7
28°FMar 29Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21
24°FMar 18Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 13Feb 6Jan 30
20°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 19Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 9
16°FFeb 21Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 19Jan 14Jan 9Jan 2

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 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 2
28°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 22
24°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 13
20°FDec 10Dec 21Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 15Jan 21Feb 1
16°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 15Jan 18Jan 22Jan 29Feb 6

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°F229222218214210206202197189
32°F258249243237233228224218211
28°F290278270264258253247241231
24°F327314305299294287280272260
20°F361349340333327320312305296
16°F365365365365355348339333321

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
93% of years
16°F or colder
62% 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
2,918
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,725
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,087
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,486
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,035
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,755
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,650

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January675142
February540145
March4206138
April17051341
May45156577
June3336783
July0454919
August0400865
September9244685
October12465410
November3598164
December574268

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 5.1 km from Belhaven. 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 USC00310674 (Belhaven 3 Ne). Public domain.