Lebanon Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lebanon. 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 March 14 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 248 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 15, first October 28
- Median at 32°F
- last March 14, first November 18
- Median at 28°F
- last February 15, first December 10
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 4 | Apr 29 | Apr 24 | Apr 20 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 25 |
| 32°F | Apr 14 | Apr 1 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 2 | Feb 26 | Feb 18 |
| 28°F | Mar 8 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 15 | Feb 7 | Jan 27 | Jan 8 | Dec 26 |
| 24°F | Feb 20 | Feb 12 | Jan 31 | Jan 16 | Jan 6 | Dec 31 | Dec 24 | Dec 15 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Feb 14 | Jan 31 | Jan 10 | Dec 31 | Dec 28 | Dec 23 | Dec 18 | Dec 12 | Dec 4 |
| 16°F | Jan 7 | Dec 30 | Dec 28 | Dec 24 | Dec 22 | Dec 19 | Dec 14 | Dec 10 | Dec 4 |
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 | Oct 8 | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 27 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 6 | Dec 15 |
| 28°F | Nov 8 | Nov 19 | Nov 28 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Jan 1 | Jan 16 |
| 24°F | Nov 22 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 2 | Jan 14 | Feb 8 |
| 20°F | Dec 1 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 18 | Feb 9 |
| 16°F | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 16 | Dec 20 | Dec 23 | Dec 26 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 |
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 | 226 | 214 | 206 | 200 | 195 | 189 | 183 | 176 | 168 |
| 32°F | 286 | 273 | 263 | 254 | 248 | 241 | 233 | 223 | 210 |
| 28°F | 345 | 332 | 319 | 310 | 302 | 295 | 285 | 276 | 260 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 348 | 339 | 331 | 318 | 308 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 364 | 352 | 335 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 364 |
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
- 96% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 66% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 33% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 11% 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
- 4,149
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 494
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,632
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,079
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,778
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,773
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,022
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 688 | 0 | 16 |
| February | 568 | 0 | 15 |
| March | 519 | 0 | 41 |
| April | 394 | 1 | 90 |
| May | 219 | 13 | 262 |
| June | 89 | 53 | 414 |
| July | 12 | 170 | 623 |
| August | 10 | 185 | 640 |
| September | 72 | 69 | 447 |
| October | 313 | 3 | 173 |
| November | 543 | 0 | 39 |
| December | 721 | 0 | 19 |
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 0.6 km from Lebanon. 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 USC00354819 (Lebanon). Public domain.