Kenton Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kenton. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 182 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 3, first October 12
- Median at 32°F
- last April 22, first October 24
- Median at 28°F
- last April 10, 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 18 | May 12 | May 9 | May 6 | May 3 | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 23 | Apr 19 |
| 32°F | May 7 | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 |
| 28°F | Apr 26 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 28 |
| 24°F | Apr 14 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 |
| 20°F | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 22 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 15 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 |
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 | Sep 28 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 9 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 |
| 16°F | Nov 15 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 |
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 | 180 | 173 | 168 | 164 | 160 | 156 | 152 | 147 | 140 |
| 32°F | 201 | 195 | 189 | 185 | 182 | 178 | 174 | 168 | 161 |
| 28°F | 225 | 219 | 214 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 198 | 192 | 185 |
| 24°F | 251 | 243 | 237 | 233 | 228 | 225 | 220 | 216 | 210 |
| 20°F | 273 | 266 | 259 | 254 | 249 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 225 |
| 16°F | 295 | 287 | 280 | 275 | 270 | 265 | 260 | 252 | 242 |
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
- 6,028
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 888
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,426
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,256
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,219
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,310
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,530
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,224 | 0 | 1 |
| February | 1,025 | 0 | 3 |
| March | 841 | 1 | 28 |
| April | 470 | 9 | 120 |
| May | 189 | 61 | 349 |
| June | 29 | 194 | 615 |
| July | 3 | 282 | 744 |
| August | 7 | 232 | 690 |
| September | 85 | 97 | 465 |
| October | 381 | 14 | 169 |
| November | 714 | 0 | 32 |
| December | 1,060 | 0 | 4 |
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 0.4 km from Kenton. 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 USC00334189 (Kenton). Public domain.