Ramseur climate

Ramseur Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Randleman, 16 km from Ramseur, elevation 810 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Randleman. 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 6, a growing season of about 224 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 19

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 30Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 13
28°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 26
24°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 5
20°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 28Feb 20Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 25Jan 16
16°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 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 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
32°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 24
28°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 23Jan 3
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 20
16°FDec 13Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 24Feb 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°F219213208204200196192187179
32°F247237233229224220215210203
28°F275266258253249244239233225
24°F306296289282277270265258248
20°F343332323316307302296288278
16°F365365355347338333325315305

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
79% 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
3,712
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,432
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,188
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,694
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,377
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,228
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,252

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January826015
February656129
March500296
April21522271
May66115517
June4296742
July0415880
August1360824
September28188610
October20332302
November484172
December731018

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 km from Ramseur. 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 USC00317097 (Randleman). Public domain.