Cherokee climate

Cherokee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cherokee, 1.8 km from Cherokee, elevation 1965 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cherokee. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 186 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 2, 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 18May 11May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 15
32°FMay 6Apr 29Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1
28°FApr 17Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22Mar 15
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Feb 27
20°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20Feb 8
16°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14Feb 5Jan 30Jan 19

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 29Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 26
32°FOct 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Nov 1Nov 3
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 14
24°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Dec 1
20°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14Dec 27
16°FNov 22Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 13

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°F184177171167162158153147141
32°F208202196191186182177171163
28°F235226221216212208203197189
24°F267256248243237231226220213
20°F299287278272265258252245236
16°F335320312303298290282275263

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
99% 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
4,339
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
780
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,051
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,650
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,430
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,384
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,503

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January88808
February710014
March577061
April3059199
May11855406
June17155588
July1242705
August3211673
September5396494
October29513219
November575150
December798014

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 1.8 km from Cherokee. 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 USC00316341 (Cherokee). Public domain.