Cricket climate

Cricket Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for N Wilkesboro, 3.7 km from Cricket, elevation 1120 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for N Wilkesboro. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 201 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 10, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 8

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 11May 6May 2Apr 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 8
32°FApr 26Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25
28°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9
24°FApr 1Mar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 20
20°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31
16°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 28Jan 18Jan 10

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 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 2
32°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10
28°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10
20°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 25Jan 2
16°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 6Jan 13Jan 21

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°F198191187182178174170165157
32°F225215210206201197192188180
28°F250241236231226222217212205
24°F281270264259253248243237229
20°F321308300293286280274266257
16°F351339333327319312303294282

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
95% 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
4,000
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,201
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,712
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,276
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,013
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,919
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,982

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January849011
February679017
March537283
April26618233
May8995473
June9246687
July1355820
August1311775
September38149561
October24023268
November528168
December764017

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 3.7 km from Cricket. 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 USC00316256 (N Wilkesboro). Public domain.