Pineville climate

Pineville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Charlotte Douglas AP, 16.7 km from Pineville, elevation 728 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Charlotte Douglas AP. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 14

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

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°F220212208203200196191186179
32°F244236231226221217212207201
28°F271261256250245240235229221
24°F308295288280274268261254245
20°F342332322313306300293284271
16°F365365355346339334326316304

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
80% 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
3,058
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,769
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,026
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,451
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,035
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,779
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,691

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January712034
February541255
March39210163
April16347344
May39165591
June2348796
July0468933
August0423888
September13244681
October15254376
November4156125
December631150

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 16.7 km from Pineville. 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 USW00013881 (Charlotte Douglas AP). Public domain.