Cooleemee climate

Cooleemee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mocksville 5SE, 6.4 km from Cooleemee, elevation 680 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mocksville 5SE. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 2

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 13May 7May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 13
32°FMay 2Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 18
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 10Mar 2
20°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 12
16°FMar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 25

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

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°F189184180176172168164160153
32°F211204199196192187183179172
28°F235228222218214210206201195
24°F264254248242236232227222215
20°F299286277270264258252245236
16°F334322311305297290283275264

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
4,083
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,221
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,688
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,266
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,014
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,927
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,996

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January867011
February699018
March557274
April27819223
May9288461
June10242682
July0363828
August1326790
September34157573
October24822261
November533270
December764022

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 6.4 km from Cooleemee. 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 USC00315743 (Mocksville 5SE). Public domain.