Mount Olive climate

Mount Olive Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mt Olive 6SE, 9.6 km from Mount Olive, elevation 162 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mt Olive 6SE. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 18

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 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 25
32°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 10
28°FMar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
24°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18Feb 10Feb 2
20°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 18Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 10
16°FFeb 17Feb 7Feb 1Jan 30Jan 26Jan 20Jan 14Jan 8Dec 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 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10
32°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22
28°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 9
24°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 26Jan 3
20°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 24
16°FDec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 19Jan 27Feb 2

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°F223216211208205201197192185
32°F247240235230226221217213206
28°F281271263257250245241235228
24°F315304297290284276269263253
20°F349338332326319312306297285
16°F365365364356347340334329317

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
70% 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
3,119
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,718
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,932
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,370
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,968
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,722
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,641

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January707042
February577052
March43510147
April18039322
May42158581
June1335784
July0456920
August0394859
September8251693
October14666392
November4037130
December621145

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 9.6 km from Mount Olive. 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 USC00315930 (Mt Olive 6SE). Public domain.