Kill Devil Hills climate

Kill Devil Hills Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Manteo AP, 12.8 km from Kill Devil Hills, elevation 13 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Manteo 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 15 and the first fall freeze around December 6, a growing season of about 266 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 24
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first December 6
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 25

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 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 10
32°FMar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23
28°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Feb 2
24°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 20Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 30Jan 23Jan 14
20°FFeb 19Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 28Jan 23Jan 17Jan 12Jan 2
16°FFeb 16Feb 2Jan 30Jan 28Jan 23Jan 19Jan 15Jan 10Jan 4

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°FNov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10
32°FNov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27
28°FDec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 21Dec 25Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14
24°FDec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 22Feb 2
20°FDec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 15Jan 19Jan 24Jan 29Feb 4
16°FJan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 15Jan 19Jan 23Jan 27Jan 30Feb 6

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°F264256250246241236231226218
32°F293283277271266261256249242
28°F326314306301298292286280270
24°F362346337332327319312306298
20°F365365365362351343336331320
16°F365365365365365365365352336

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
92% of years
20°F or colder
63% of years
16°F or colder
26% 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
2,891
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,705
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,077
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,455
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,991
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,713
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,620

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January677031
February563036
March4483113
April19333301
May56131540
June4320766
July0453918
August0411876
September3270717
October8578460
November3216172
December542163

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 12.8 km from Kill Devil Hills. 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 USW00013766 (Manteo AP). Public domain.