Brevard climate

Brevard Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brevard, 0.5 km from Brevard, elevation 2175 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brevard. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 185 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 2, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first November 1

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 16May 11May 8May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18
32°FMay 7May 2Apr 27Apr 23Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 4
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18
24°FApr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 1
20°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13
16°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 2Jan 22

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 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3
28°FOct 17Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 13
24°FOct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 30
20°FNov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 17
16°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16Dec 25Jan 1Jan 8

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°F183176171166162159155151144
32°F207199194190185181176171163
28°F232224218214210206201196188
24°F259250246240236231225221213
20°F292281273265260255250244236
16°F328316308301294287280271261

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
4,302
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
740
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,009
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,604
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,378
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,331
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,451

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January868010
February701014
March575060
April3098185
May12246392
June15148583
July2234697
August2210673
September5284482
October28010222
November581044
December795016

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 0.5 km from Brevard. 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 USC00311055 (Brevard). Public domain.