Surf City climate

Surf City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Surf City, 3.4 km from Surf City, elevation 24 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Surf City. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 26

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 20Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21
32°FApr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11
28°FMar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 23
24°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 8Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 15Feb 5Jan 27
20°FMar 5Feb 25Feb 16Feb 8Feb 1Jan 28Jan 23Jan 14Jan 2
16°FFeb 20Feb 8Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Dec 30

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 19Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 3
28°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 20
24°FNov 19Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Jan 1Jan 9
20°FDec 2Dec 9Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 15Jan 24
16°FDec 14Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 24Feb 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°F233226221217213209204200193
32°F259250243237233229225219212
28°F288277270263258252247240232
24°F330315306298291283276269257
20°F365350343335328319311303290
16°F365365365365355347340334320

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
92% of years
16°F or colder
66% 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
2,771
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,745
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,258
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,642
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,168
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,857
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,715

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January644157
February528163
March4165138
April16039336
May32147580
June1327775
July0449914
August0418883
September4264709
October10981441
November32611182
December550289

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 3.4 km from Surf City. 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 USC00318380 (Surf City). Public domain.