Lowesville climate

Lowesville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gastonia, 20.5 km from Lowesville, elevation 700 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gastonia. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 228 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 22

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 26Apr 20Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 23
32°FApr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9
28°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 23
24°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 3
20°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 25Feb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 24Jan 13
16°FFeb 28Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 28Jan 23Jan 17Jan 11Dec 31

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 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 26
28°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 16
24°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7
20°FDec 3Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 8Jan 14Jan 23
16°FDec 12Dec 23Dec 29Jan 5Jan 10Jan 14Jan 18Jan 26Feb 3

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°F227219214210206202198193186
32°F252243237233228223219214207
28°F283274265260255249244238230
24°F320306299292286280273264257
20°F353339331323315309302295285
16°F365365365353344336330320309

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
75% 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
3,004
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,854
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,157
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,574
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,146
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,888
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,790

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January712031
February546148
March39610158
April15254362
May36172602
June2362810
July0479944
August0439904
September9269709
October13361398
November3996131
December620149

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 20.5 km from Lowesville. 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 USC00313356 (Gastonia). Public domain.