Bertie County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lewiston. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 223 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 9, first October 29
- Median at 32°F
- last March 29, first November 7
- Median at 28°F
- last March 16, first November 21
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 | Apr 23 | Apr 18 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 |
| 32°F | Apr 12 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 12 |
| 28°F | Apr 1 | Mar 28 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 2 | Feb 24 |
| 24°F | Mar 20 | Mar 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 | Feb 10 | Feb 1 |
| 20°F | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Feb 7 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 21 | Jan 10 |
| 16°F | Feb 22 | Feb 11 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 26 | Jan 21 | Jan 17 | Jan 11 | Jan 1 |
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 | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
| 24°F | Nov 16 | Nov 23 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 6 |
| 20°F | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 23 |
| 16°F | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 18 | Jan 25 | Feb 3 |
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 | 221 | 214 | 209 | 205 | 202 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 183 |
| 32°F | 246 | 238 | 232 | 227 | 223 | 219 | 215 | 210 | 205 |
| 28°F | 280 | 270 | 262 | 256 | 251 | 246 | 240 | 235 | 227 |
| 24°F | 317 | 305 | 296 | 291 | 283 | 276 | 270 | 262 | 253 |
| 20°F | 350 | 337 | 330 | 323 | 316 | 309 | 303 | 295 | 283 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 362 | 353 | 344 | 337 | 332 | 324 | 312 |
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
- 96% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 76% 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
- 3,145
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,754
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,958
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,397
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,996
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,754
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,674
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 712 | 1 | 41 |
| February | 569 | 2 | 52 |
| March | 433 | 12 | 145 |
| April | 179 | 58 | 340 |
| May | 50 | 163 | 578 |
| June | 3 | 346 | 793 |
| July | 0 | 454 | 919 |
| August | 0 | 409 | 874 |
| September | 13 | 238 | 675 |
| October | 151 | 60 | 381 |
| November | 403 | 9 | 140 |
| December | 630 | 3 | 58 |
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 19.7 km from Bertie County. 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 USC00314962 (Lewiston). Public domain.