Bainbridge climate

Bainbridge Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Waverly, 28.2 km from Bainbridge, elevation 572 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Waverly. 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 April 21 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 182 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 9, first November 1

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°FMay 17May 13May 8May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17
32°FMay 9May 3Apr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 4
28°FApr 30Apr 21Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 23
24°FApr 12Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 9
20°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 25
16°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 9

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°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 25
32°FOct 6Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 4
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27
20°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 5Dec 14
16°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Dec 30

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°F183176171167163159154149142
32°F203197192186182178173168161
28°F227219214210205200195189180
24°F251243237233229224219214205
20°F280270262256251247242236226
16°F309298290283277271264258249

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
5,089
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,080
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,049
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,769
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,634
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,643
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,792

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06307
February87209
March702248
April35415182
May13083424
June14227663
July1326790
August4280741
September65128514
October32719203
November645042
December912011

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 28.2 km from Bainbridge. 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 USC00338830 (Waverly). Public domain.