Hyde County climate

Hyde County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Swanquarter Ferry, 16.2 km from Hyde County, elevation 3 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Swanquarter Ferry. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 29, first November 12
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first December 8

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 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 13
32°FMar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27
28°FMar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 8
24°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 27Feb 23Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 29Jan 15
20°FFeb 28Feb 21Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 6
16°FFeb 15Feb 4Jan 31Jan 29Jan 25Jan 21Jan 17Jan 12Jan 5

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 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 28
32°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 13
28°FNov 19Nov 25Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15Dec 21Dec 29Jan 5
24°FDec 4Dec 11Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 14Jan 23
20°FDec 18Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 21Jan 28Feb 5
16°FDec 30Jan 5Jan 11Jan 16Jan 19Jan 23Jan 27Jan 31Feb 4

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°F251242236231227223219216210
32°F278270263258253248243237229
28°F310301293286280274268263252
24°F345333325317311306300292281
20°F365365357348340334327318307
16°F365365365365365362350338330

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
77% of years
16°F or colder
39% 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
2,704
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,052
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,609
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,966
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,472
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,155
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,020

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January632049
February545049
March4147131
April15651353
May31199634
June1401850
July0515979
August0473938
September4304750
October7693483
November3119184
December534072

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 16.2 km from Hyde County. 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 USC00318450 (Swanquarter Ferry). Public domain.