Currituck climate

Currituck Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Elizabeth City, 23.1 km from Currituck, elevation 8 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Elizabeth City. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last March 12, first December 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 2Apr 21Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22
32°FApr 18Apr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 7
28°FApr 4Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 21Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 13Feb 5Jan 28
20°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 9
16°FFeb 26Feb 15Feb 5Jan 31Jan 29Jan 25Jan 20Jan 13Jan 4

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 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21
32°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5
28°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 30
24°FNov 28Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 3Jan 8Jan 18
20°FDec 10Dec 23Dec 29Jan 3Jan 7Jan 13Jan 17Jan 24Feb 3
16°FDec 25Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 17Jan 20Jan 26Jan 31Feb 10

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°F234226221217213208204198189
32°F263254248243238232226220211
28°F298286278272266259253246236
24°F331319310305299293287277265
20°F365351342334327320312306298
16°F365365365365357346337329315

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
90% of years
16°F or colder
56% 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
2,852
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,895
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,321
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,709
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,255
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,964
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,846

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January670042
February549150
March4079151
April16453347
May44165586
June4367813
July0487952
August0437902
September5278723
October10385449
November34511170
December561369

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 23.1 km from Currituck. 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 USC00312719 (Elizabeth City). Public domain.