Spruce Pine climate

Spruce Pine Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Spruce Pine 2 Ne, 6 km from Spruce Pine, elevation 2850 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Spruce Pine 2 Ne. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 177 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 11, first October 29

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 23May 18May 13May 9May 7May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 22
32°FMay 13May 7May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 10
28°FApr 30Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 28
24°FApr 13Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9
20°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 21
16°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 11Feb 4

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°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 19Oct 25
32°FOct 6Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 2
28°FOct 15Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 12
24°FOct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24
20°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 10
16°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 25Jan 2

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°F176169163159155151147142136
32°F197191185181177173168162156
28°F219213207203199196191186178
24°F250241235229225220216210203
20°F280271263256250246241234224
16°F313302293286280275267260250

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
100% 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
4,997
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
484
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,277
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,956
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,824
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,872
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,088

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January95903
February79707
March670036
April4031121
May17919314
June3093513
July6180639
August9144600
September9343402
October3644154
November641028
December84809

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 km from Spruce Pine. 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 USC00318221 (Spruce Pine 2 Ne). Public domain.