Kinston climate

Kinston Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kinston Ag Rsch, 3.9 km from Kinston, elevation 60 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kinston Ag Rsch. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 232 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 5, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 25, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 13, first November 26

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 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23
32°FApr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 9
28°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 21
24°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 14Feb 5Jan 27
20°FMar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 15Jan 4
16°FFeb 20Feb 6Jan 31Jan 28Jan 22Jan 17Jan 12Jan 5Dec 29

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 20Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Dec 2
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 22
24°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 28Jan 3Jan 14
20°FDec 3Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 18Dec 29Jan 3Jan 8Jan 12Jan 16Jan 21Jan 28Feb 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°F229222218213209206202197190
32°F258249242237232227222217209
28°F289278270263258254248242233
24°F327313305299293286278270260
20°F365352341334327320312304292
16°F365365365365358348339333321

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
88% of years
16°F or colder
57% 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
2,503
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,014
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,751
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,099
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,585
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,225
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,036

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January600270
February469484
March34118203
April12878407
May27206643
June2384832
July0496961
August0440905
September6276720
October10187454
November31018205
December5185100

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 3.9 km from Kinston. 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 USC00314689 (Kinston Ag Rsch). Public domain.