Lake Lure climate

Lake Lure Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake Lure 2, 1.8 km from Lake Lure, elevation 1040 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake Lure 2. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 207 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 19, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 10

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°FMay 4Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5
32°FApr 20Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20
28°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 8
24°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 20
20°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10Feb 1
16°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 24Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 19Jan 11

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 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 3
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 13
28°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27
24°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 11
20°FNov 17Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 23Jan 1
16°FDec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 9Jan 18

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°F204198194190186182178174168
32°F228221215211207204200195188
28°F253244238233228224220215209
24°F283274266260254248243237230
20°F316304296289283277271262253
16°F347336328320313306299291282

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
98% 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
3,656
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,331
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,092
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,598
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,278
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,131
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,151

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January807013
February633024
March502192
April23120259
May63105507
June3271718
July0378843
August0346811
September23179606
October20230304
November476279
December716022

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 1.8 km from Lake Lure. 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 USC00314764 (Lake Lure 2). Public domain.