Fair Bluff climate

Fair Bluff Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lumber Rvr SP, 9.1 km from Fair Bluff, elevation 96 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lumber Rvr SP. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 219 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first November 17

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 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27
32°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 12
28°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 3Feb 24
24°FMar 26Mar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 3
20°FMar 12Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 11
16°FFeb 25Feb 15Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 8Dec 30

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 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 24
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 19Dec 28
20°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 10Jan 19
16°FDec 9Dec 19Dec 27Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 15Jan 20Feb 1

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°F219213207204200196192187181
32°F244236230225219215210206198
28°F274264257251244238232227218
24°F309298290283276269261253243
20°F348335328320310304297289275
16°F365365361350343336330321308

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
96% 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
2,926
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,722
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,103
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,515
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,064
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,779
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,664

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January671259
February526269
March3989160
April17538327
May36165594
June1342790
July0442907
August0417882
September12240678
October15054375
November3739146
December584278

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 9.1 km from Fair Bluff. 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 USC00315175 (Lumber Rvr SP). Public domain.