Forest Oaks climate

Forest Oaks Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greensboro Wtp, 13.8 km from Forest Oaks, elevation 765 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greensboro Wtp. 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 4, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 15

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 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30
32°FApr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 18
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 3
24°FMar 25Mar 20Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 17
20°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 12Feb 5Jan 28
16°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 6

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 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 19
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2
24°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 24
20°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 6Dec 10Dec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 5Jan 12
16°FDec 9Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 16Jan 23Jan 31

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°F215208203200197193189184178
32°F239231226222217214210205197
28°F266256251246242236231226219
24°F296286279272267263257251244
20°F331319309304297291285277267
16°F365351342333326318310303293

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
92% 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
3,438
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,567
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,526
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,004
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,649
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,459
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,431

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January778020
February604142
March4515127
April19034308
May50151566
June3304752
July0451916
August1383848
September20197627
October18739328
November462286
December693130

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 13.8 km from Forest Oaks. 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 USC00313625 (Greensboro Wtp). Public domain.