Saint Pauls climate

Saint Pauls Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lumberton, 20.6 km from Saint Pauls, elevation 112 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lumberton. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 234 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 8, first November 25

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 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19
32°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 12Mar 2
28°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 12
24°FMar 16Mar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 30Jan 16
20°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 8Feb 1Jan 30Jan 24Jan 17Jan 10Jan 1
16°FFeb 8Feb 1Jan 29Jan 25Jan 21Jan 16Jan 12Jan 6Dec 27

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 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11Nov 16
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Dec 2
28°FNov 5Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 3Dec 10Dec 22
24°FNov 16Nov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 29Jan 5Jan 14
20°FDec 2Dec 11Dec 20Dec 29Jan 1Jan 8Jan 13Jan 20Jan 31
16°FDec 19Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 16Jan 20Jan 25Feb 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°F233225220215211208204199193
32°F261252245239234229224219211
28°F296284276269262256249242233
24°F332322312305298290283274262
20°F365357347339333326318307295
16°F365365365365365356347336328

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
83% of years
16°F or colder
44% 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
2,817
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,936
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,397
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,788
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,332
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,034
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,903

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January658152
February523263
March38011173
April15455359
May33187619
June2380828
July0498963
August0442907
September8275717
October12372419
November36211162
December574372

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 20.6 km from Saint Pauls. 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 USC00315177 (Lumberton). Public domain.