Fairview climate

Fairview Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Swannanoa 2 Sse, 6.7 km from Fairview, elevation 4320 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Swannanoa 2 Sse. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 184 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 22, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 9, 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 21May 15May 11May 8May 5May 1Apr 28Apr 23Apr 17
32°FMay 11May 4Apr 30Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 10Apr 5
28°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23
24°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 11
20°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 1
16°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 13

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°FSep 29Oct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Dec 1
20°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13
16°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15Dec 23Jan 2

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°F182175170166161158154149142
32°F205197192187184179175169162
28°F227220214209205200196190182
24°F249242235230224220215209202
20°F273265259253248243238231222
16°F303292283276271265259252242

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
100% 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
5,274
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
325
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,037
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,746
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,621
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,663
Growing degree days, base 60°F
882

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,00003
February82606
March699042
April4045147
May19122308
June6061452
July11117570
August2789527
September12129361
October3772156
November663040
December896010

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 6.7 km from Fairview. 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 USC00318448 (Swannanoa 2 Sse). Public domain.