Calabash climate

Calabash Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Longwood, 13.4 km from Calabash, elevation 40 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Longwood. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 25

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 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21
32°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 12Mar 3
28°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 14
24°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 5Jan 31Jan 21
20°FMar 3Feb 22Feb 12Feb 3Jan 30Jan 24Jan 17Jan 10Dec 30
16°FFeb 15Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 19Jan 15Jan 9Jan 4Dec 27

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 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 16
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Dec 1
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 9Dec 21
24°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 29Jan 3Jan 13
20°FDec 1Dec 10Dec 18Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 17Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 20Jan 27Feb 2

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°F232224218213210205200195189
32°F258248242237231227222216207
28°F294281272265259253246239229
24°F334321311302296288280271259
20°F365358347339333327315306296
16°F365365365365365358347338328

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
85% of years
16°F or colder
44% 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
2,667
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,829
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,414
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,783
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,297
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,969
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,810

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January618264
February494170
March3679178
April15345350
May32167600
June1348796
July0468933
August0425890
September7272715
October11374431
November34313180
December537490

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 13.4 km from Calabash. 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 USC00315116 (Longwood). Public domain.