Rutherfordton climate

Rutherfordton Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Forest City 8 W, 6.9 km from Rutherfordton, elevation 849 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Forest City 8 W. 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 April 11 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 198 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 5

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°FMay 11May 5May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10
32°FApr 28Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27
28°FApr 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 11
24°FMar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 1Feb 22
20°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 2
16°FMar 14Mar 6Feb 28Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 15

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 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Nov 1
32°FOct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
28°FOct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
20°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16Dec 28
16°FNov 26Dec 1Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 10Jan 19

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°F196189184180176172168163157
32°F219212207203198193189184176
28°F245238231226222218214209202
24°F275265259254249244239233227
20°F310299290282276269260252245
16°F345333325315307301294285273

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
98% 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
3,652
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,387
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,149
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,656
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,333
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,184
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,209

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January794017
February626131
March4903104
April23320257
May74103495
June3279726
July0395860
August0360825
September21192621
October21633298
November494171
December701029

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 6.9 km from Rutherfordton. 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 USC00313152 (Forest City 8 W). Public domain.