Salisbury climate

Salisbury Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Salisbury, 1.6 km from Salisbury, elevation 700 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Salisbury. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 8

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 10May 1Apr 26Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 3
32°FApr 27Apr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21
28°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 7
24°FMar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
20°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31
16°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 25Feb 18Feb 10Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 12

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

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°F206199194190186181176170162
32°F226220216212208202198192184
28°F252244239234229224220215207
24°F282273265260255249244239230
20°F320308300293286279272266255
16°F353341333327319312305298284

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
96% 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
3,532
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,479
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,363
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,867
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,528
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,350
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,334

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January787019
February617133
March4664120
April19634304
May58129537
June4304750
July0415880
August1368832
September23188615
October19434317
November481291
December707131

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 1.6 km from Salisbury. 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 USC00317615 (Salisbury). Public domain.