Wrightsboro climate

Wrightsboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wilmington Intl AP, 3.1 km from Wrightsboro, elevation 33 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wilmington 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 19 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 247 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 19, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first December 3

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 13Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 14
32°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 5Feb 26
28°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 4
24°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 24Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 29Jan 22Jan 12
20°FFeb 23Feb 8Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 19Jan 13Jan 7Dec 29
16°FFeb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 23Jan 19Jan 14Jan 11Jan 6Jan 1

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 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
28°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 23Jan 1
24°FNov 30Dec 5Dec 12Dec 19Dec 26Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 20
20°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 15Jan 22Jan 30
16°FDec 25Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 14Jan 18Jan 22Jan 27Feb 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°F248238233228224220215211204
32°F274264258253247242236231223
28°F308298290284278272265258249
24°F347334326318312305298291279
20°F365365359352346338332323309
16°F365365365365365365359348336

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
73% of years
16°F or colder
35% 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
2,326
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,133
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,021
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,339
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,793
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,402
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,178

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January568381
February443595
March32019214
April11876412
May21210654
June1396844
July0511976
August0465930
September3312759
October82108493
November28922220
December4817114

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 3.1 km from Wrightsboro. 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 USW00013748 (Wilmington Intl AP). Public domain.