Berea climate

Berea Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cleveland, 5.3 km from Berea, elevation 763 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cleveland. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 198 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 20, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 13

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 11May 7May 4Apr 30Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 9Apr 4
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
24°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 11
20°FMar 30Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28
16°FMar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16

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 7Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
24°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10
20°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24
16°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 8Dec 13Dec 17Dec 21Dec 25Dec 29Jan 6

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°F192185180176173169164159152
32°F217211205201198193189183175
28°F240234228224220217213207200
24°F263255250245240236231226218
20°F288280274268263258253248241
16°F306299293289284279273267257

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
5,516
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
947
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,673
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,444
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,360
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,417
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,611

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,11404
February94906
March811233
April44710127
May18266358
June29193614
July2296759
August4251711
September70110491
October32518200
November631148
December95208

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 5.3 km from Berea. 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 USW00014820 (Cleveland). Public domain.