Five Points climate

Five Points Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Dayton Wright Bros AP, 4 km from Five Points, elevation 962 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Dayton Wright Bros 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 April 17 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 5

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 16May 10May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 14
32°FMay 6Apr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 12Apr 8Apr 3
28°FApr 21Apr 15Apr 12Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20
24°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8
20°FMar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 23
16°FMar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11

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 4Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28
32°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 20
24°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5
20°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19
16°FNov 21Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 16Dec 20Dec 25Dec 31

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°F189183178173169165161157149
32°F211205200195192187182176169
28°F234228223218214210206201194
24°F262254248243238235230224216
20°F287277271265260256250243236
16°F310300293288283278272265257

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
5,033
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,099
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,144
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,856
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,709
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,698
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,826

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06807
February874011
March695257
April34512185
May12290437
June12228666
July1325789
August2288750
September58132524
October30621221
November622151
December927012

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 4 km from Five Points. 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 USW00053859 (Dayton Wright Bros AP). Public domain.