Pine Level climate

Pine Level Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Smithfield, 9.1 km from Pine Level, elevation 150 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Smithfield. 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 5, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 17

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

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°F220213208204200196191186179
32°F245236230224220215211206199
28°F276266257251245239233226217
24°F316304294288280274267256245
20°F354341334328320311304295281
16°F365365364355346339334324312

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
72% 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
3,078
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,871
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,112
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,540
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,127
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,875
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,792

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January699143
February558251
March41610148
April17953336
May43173595
June2365813
July0504969
August0433897
September11259697
October14962386
November4057131
December615361

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 9.1 km from Pine Level. 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 USC00317994 (Smithfield). Public domain.