Summerfield climate

Summerfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Piedmont Triad Intl AP, 12.9 km from Summerfield, elevation 890 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Piedmont Triad Intl AP. 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 5, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 17

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 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 19Mar 12
28°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Feb 28
24°FMar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 10
20°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 23
16°FMar 6Feb 25Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 17Jan 8

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 14Oct 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 21
28°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 4
24°FNov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 26
20°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 20Dec 26Dec 31Jan 7Jan 17
16°FDec 10Dec 19Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 13Jan 17Jan 24Feb 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°F217211206201198194190185177
32°F243235229225220216212208201
28°F270260253248244239234229222
24°F299289282276270265259252243
20°F332323315307301296288280269
16°F365354345336331325317305294

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
88% 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
3,500
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,552
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,471
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,967
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,622
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,435
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,415

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January784022
February617134
March4626125
April20438301
May59138545
June5314759
July0431896
August0382846
September22200629
October18739327
November4613103
December699136

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 12.9 km from Summerfield. 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 USW00013723 (Piedmont Triad Intl AP). Public domain.