Bent Creek climate

Bent Creek Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bent Creek, 1.1 km from Bent Creek, elevation 2110 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bent Creek. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 18, a growing season of about 175 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 6, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 18
Median at 28°F
last April 12, first October 28

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 22May 15May 12May 10May 6May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 21
32°FMay 12May 7May 2Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10
28°FApr 30Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28
24°FApr 14Apr 9Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13
20°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 22
16°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 9Jan 31

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 24Sep 30Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18Oct 23
32°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27Oct 31
28°FOct 13Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 9
24°FOct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 23
20°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Jan 1

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°F174169164159155152148142135
32°F195188184179175171166161154
28°F218211207202197193189183176
24°F245237232227222219214208201
20°F277268260254249243237232225
16°F314303295287278273267258250

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
4,590
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
745
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,846
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,489
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,309
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,296
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,439

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January91807
February74609
March620049
April3425164
May12543388
June15147582
July2245708
August3213676
September5982475
October3118201
November617039
December834013

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 1.1 km from Bent Creek. 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 USC00310724 (Bent Creek). Public domain.