Clayton climate

Clayton Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tuskahoma, 7.2 km from Clayton, elevation 600 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tuskahoma. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 199 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 4

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 5Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 5
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 25
28°FApr 19Apr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 16Mar 9
24°FApr 5Mar 30Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24
20°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 1
16°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 26Jan 15

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 2Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9
28°FOct 18Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 24
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6
20°FNov 5Nov 13Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 25
16°FNov 20Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Dec 28Jan 4Jan 14

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°F204196190185181177173166159
32°F226215209204199193190184176
28°F249239232226220215209203195
24°F278267259253246240233227217
20°F309296289281275268262254242
16°F343330320312306299292281270

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
98% 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
3,303
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,903
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,023
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,498
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,124
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,902
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,824

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January768029
February582252
March40410160
April18744325
May43159582
June2348796
July0511976
August0481945
September20266696
October16471386
November4359136
December699141

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 7.2 km from Clayton. 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 USC00349023 (Tuskahoma). Public domain.