Bettsville climate

Bettsville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fremont Ag Stn, 9.1 km from Bettsville, elevation 664 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fremont Ag 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 183 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 8, first November 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°FMay 17May 11May 7May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 18
32°FMay 6Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8
28°FApr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 26
24°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15
20°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4
16°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20

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 26Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 26
32°FOct 8Oct 13Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16
16°FNov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 13Dec 17Dec 23Dec 27

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°F181174169165160156151147140
32°F205197192188183180175171163
28°F228222218214210206201196188
24°F255246240236232228224220213
20°F279270263258254249245240232
16°F301291284280275270265259251

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
5,949
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
838
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,349
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,175
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,141
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,236
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,466

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,18501
February1,00802
March848231
April4798110
May19260344
June33192609
July4275736
August11208662
September9479438
October37816170
November692032
December1,02606

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 9.1 km from Bettsville. 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 USC00332976 (Fremont Ag Stn). Public domain.