Moravian Falls climate

Moravian Falls Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for W Kerr Scott Resv, 5.6 km from Moravian Falls, elevation 1070 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for W Kerr Scott Resv. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 26, first November 11

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 9May 2Apr 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7
32°FApr 22Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 24
28°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 8
24°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26Feb 21
20°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 8Jan 31
16°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 20Feb 11Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 19Jan 10

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 11Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4
32°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12
28°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 28
24°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8Dec 16
20°FNov 22Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 8
16°FDec 5Dec 12Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 25

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°F203197192188184180176171164
32°F227220215211208204199194187
28°F256247241235231227222217210
24°F288277269264259254247241233
20°F324312303295289283275267257
16°F356344335329322314305297285

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
94% 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
3,863
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,283
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,894
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,438
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,154
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,037
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,084

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January831012
February671016
March524287
April25621244
May83106489
June8260702
July0369834
August1329794
September30168588
October21427292
November499278
December746019

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 5.6 km from Moravian Falls. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00319555 (W Kerr Scott Resv). Public domain.