Spring Lake climate

Spring Lake Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fayetteville (pwc), 15.9 km from Spring Lake, elevation 96 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fayetteville (pwc). 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 10, a growing season of about 227 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 23

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 27Apr 20Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 23
32°FApr 16Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 9
28°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28Feb 21
24°FMar 24Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Jan 30
20°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 20Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 6
16°FFeb 22Feb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 13Jan 6Dec 29

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 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 29
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 17
24°FNov 16Nov 24Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 26Jan 1Jan 10
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 27
16°FDec 15Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 15Jan 19Jan 26Feb 3

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°F226219214210206202198193186
32°F253244238232227222217211204
28°F282272264258251246240233225
24°F318306300292286279271263253
20°F358344334328319311305297284
16°F365365365365353343334326313

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
91% of years
16°F or colder
61% 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
2,969
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,890
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,218
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,630
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,200
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,931
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,829

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January684143
February546254
March40110158
April16955347
May38181608
June2367814
July0498962
August0437902
September10264703
October13565401
November3859147
December598361

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 15.9 km from Spring Lake. 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 USC00313017 (Fayetteville (pwc)). Public domain.