Weldon climate

Weldon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Roanoke Rapids, 8.9 km from Weldon, elevation 210 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Roanoke Rapids. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 22

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 30Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29
32°FApr 16Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15
28°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
24°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 10
20°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 29Jan 18
16°FMar 1Feb 22Feb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 14Jan 7

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 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25
28°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 14
24°FNov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 9
20°FDec 2Dec 13Dec 25Dec 30Jan 2Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 26
16°FDec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 14Jan 17Jan 21Jan 27Feb 5

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°F218212207203199195190185177
32°F246237231226222218214209201
28°F281271263257252245240234225
24°F313302295289283276270263253
20°F345334328321312305300293282
16°F365365356347340334329317305

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
78% 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
3,558
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,607
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,465
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,968
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,635
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,464
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,457

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January783023
February642129
March512494
April23733270
May69137534
June7317760
July0451916
August0394859
September17219652
October17645344
November4404112
December676141

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 8.9 km from Weldon. 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 USC00317319 (Roanoke Rapids). Public domain.