Pikeville climate

Pikeville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Goldsboro Ag 1 N, 8.2 km from Pikeville, elevation 109 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Goldsboro Ag 1 N. 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 12, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 24

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

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

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°F228220216212208205202197192
32°F257248241236231226221217210
28°F287277269263257251245239230
24°F323311303296289282276268257
20°F357345334328321314306299287
16°F365365365362351342336328312

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
92% of years
16°F or colder
61% 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
3,212
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,673
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,828
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,279
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,889
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,656
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,582

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January725036
February587153
March4508133
April19634306
May48149566
June2333781
July0456920
August0394859
September12234672
October14659385
November4195122
December627156

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 8.2 km from Pikeville. 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 USC00313503 (Goldsboro Ag 1 N). Public domain.