Etowah climate

Etowah Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pisgah Forest 3 Ne, 7.1 km from Etowah, elevation 2190 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pisgah Forest 3 Ne. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 186 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 2, first October 13
Median at 32°F
last April 19, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 3, 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 15May 11May 8May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 16
32°FMay 8May 1Apr 26Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 2
28°FApr 23Apr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Feb 28
20°FMar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24Feb 15Feb 7
16°FMar 16Mar 8Mar 2Feb 24Feb 15Feb 8Feb 3Jan 30Jan 18

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 1Oct 5Oct 8Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26
32°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 16
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 23
16°FNov 21Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 5Jan 15

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°F184177172168164160157151143
32°F208201195191186181175170162
28°F234225219215211206201196188
24°F266256249243237232227222214
20°F302289280273267261255248239
16°F339326316307301294287277263

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
4,203
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
805
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,136
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,711
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,469
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,411
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,523

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January854011
February686015
March564064
April3126183
May12048396
June17158591
July1254718
August2224687
September50101501
October27114234
November556153
December769018

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 7.1 km from Etowah. 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 USC00316805 (Pisgah Forest 3 Ne). Public domain.