Lake County climate

Lake County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Painesville 4 Nw, 6 km from Lake County, elevation 600 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Painesville 4 Nw. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 209 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first November 21

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 12May 6May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15
32°FApr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2
28°FApr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 21
24°FApr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8
20°FMar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 16Mar 13Mar 11Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26
16°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 13

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 14Oct 21Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 12
32°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25
28°FNov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7
24°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12Dec 17Dec 22
20°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 16Dec 20Dec 24Dec 29Jan 4
16°FDec 8Dec 15Dec 20Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 20

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°F203196192189185182178173165
32°F229222217213209205201196191
28°F254247241235230226221216210
24°F280271265261255251245240232
20°F300293287282278274270265256
16°F318308304300295292287282274

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
5,353
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
955
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,723
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,489
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,393
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,439
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,629

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,07704
February94105
March833023
April4797106
May19951327
June31175594
July1298763
August2270733
September45129534
October27224241
November580156
December89409

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 6 km from Lake County. 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 USC00336389 (Painesville 4 Nw). Public domain.