Elizabethtown climate

Elizabethtown Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Elizabethtown, 0.6 km from Elizabethtown, elevation 120 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Elizabethtown. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 8, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 19

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 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 8
28°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24
24°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 21Feb 14Feb 6
20°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 5Feb 1Jan 27Jan 16
16°FFeb 24Feb 14Feb 5Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 11Jan 2

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 29Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 13
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 27
28°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16Dec 25Jan 2
20°FNov 27Dec 4Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 10Jan 21
16°FDec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 24Feb 3

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°F226219214211208204200195189
32°F250241235231226222218213206
28°F279269261255250245240234226
24°F311300291284278271265258249
20°F345333324317311305299290278
16°F365365356347339333328320310

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
74% 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
2,877
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,865
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,288
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,696
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,246
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,950
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,823

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January683149
February529262
March37812174
April15556359
May32176609
June1357806
July0488953
August0426891
September8266708
October12971414
November3816146
December582476

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 0.6 km from Elizabethtown. 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 USC00312732 (Elizabethtown). Public domain.