Baltic Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Coshocton Ag Rsch Stn. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 190 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 29, first October 16
- Median at 32°F
- last April 18, first October 28
- Median at 28°F
- last April 6, first November 7
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 16 | May 9 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 15 |
| 32°F | May 5 | Apr 29 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 18 | Apr 15 | Apr 12 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 |
| 28°F | Apr 20 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 |
| 24°F | Apr 11 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 |
| 20°F | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 26 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 4 |
| 16°F | Mar 27 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 2 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 11 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 |
| 16°F | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 | Dec 25 | Jan 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 186 | 179 | 175 | 171 | 167 | 164 | 159 | 154 | 147 |
| 32°F | 210 | 204 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 185 | 180 | 176 | 168 |
| 28°F | 234 | 227 | 222 | 217 | 214 | 210 | 206 | 201 | 194 |
| 24°F | 257 | 249 | 244 | 240 | 236 | 232 | 228 | 223 | 217 |
| 20°F | 279 | 271 | 265 | 260 | 256 | 251 | 247 | 241 | 233 |
| 16°F | 302 | 293 | 286 | 282 | 277 | 271 | 266 | 260 | 251 |
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
- 5,684
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 845
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,538
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,326
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,250
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,309
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,505
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,156 | 0 | 4 |
| February | 978 | 0 | 4 |
| March | 808 | 1 | 33 |
| April | 421 | 10 | 142 |
| May | 174 | 61 | 361 |
| June | 28 | 174 | 595 |
| July | 3 | 260 | 722 |
| August | 7 | 228 | 687 |
| September | 76 | 98 | 474 |
| October | 357 | 13 | 181 |
| November | 677 | 1 | 40 |
| December | 998 | 0 | 7 |
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 10.9 km from Baltic. 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 USC00331905 (Coshocton Ag Rsch Stn). Public domain.