Tarboro climate

Tarboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tarboro 1 S, 1.4 km from Tarboro, elevation 35 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tarboro 1 S. 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 9, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 15, 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 23Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26
32°FApr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 12
28°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27
24°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 2
20°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 31Jan 24Jan 15
16°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 5Jan 31Jan 28Jan 23Jan 18Jan 12Jan 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°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 28
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
24°FNov 18Nov 24Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 20Dec 29Jan 5
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 22
16°FDec 19Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 15Jan 19Jan 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°F223216212208204201197193186
32°F249241234230226222218214207
28°F279268262256251246241234228
24°F313303297289283276270264255
20°F347337330322314308303294283
16°F365365361350344337332325312

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
77% 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
3,322
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,688
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,745
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,210
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,836
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,622
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,576

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January752130
February609137
March4666121
April20739299
May56147557
June4331777
July0459924
August0406871
September13236673
October15954368
November4156128
December640251

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 1.4 km from Tarboro. 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 USC00318500 (Tarboro 1 S). Public domain.