Gorman climate

Gorman Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Raleigh Durham Intl AP, 16.5 km from Gorman, elevation 416 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Raleigh Durham Intl AP. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 219 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 16

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 28Apr 22Apr 18Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 15
28°FApr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 25
24°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 4
20°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 14
16°FFeb 28Feb 14Feb 4Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 17Jan 10Jan 1

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 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17
28°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 5
24°FNov 12Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Jan 1
20°FNov 30Dec 5Dec 11Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 20
16°FDec 13Dec 23Jan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 18Jan 24Feb 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°F215209205200196193188183177
32°F241233227223219214210204198
28°F272262256250245241235228221
24°F308297290283277271264258248
20°F343333327319310305297288278
16°F365365356348341334328319306

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
81% 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
3,153
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,805
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,992
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,436
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,037
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,795
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,721

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January718137
February562253
March42112152
April18054337
May47166585
June3354801
July0480945
August0428893
September15243678
October16056370
November4127132
December636355

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 16.5 km from Gorman. 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 USW00013722 (Raleigh Durham Intl AP). Public domain.