Oakboro climate

Oakboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Albemarle, 22.6 km from Oakboro, elevation 610 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Albemarle. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 16

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

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 14Oct 18Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 20
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 7
24°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 21Jan 1
20°FNov 25Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 3Jan 10Jan 19
16°FDec 9Dec 19Dec 27Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 25Feb 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°F218211205201197193189184178
32°F244235229224220216211206198
28°F277265258251246241235229223
24°F309299290283276270263256247
20°F344331324315307303296287276
16°F365362352344336331324316305

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
82% 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
3,276
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,597
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,683
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,144
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,762
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,539
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,483

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January747028
February588041
March4266141
April19239313
May51144558
June4322768
July0431896
August0392857
September18210642
October16645353
November4315120
December652146

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 22.6 km from Oakboro. 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 USC00310090 (Albemarle). Public domain.