Lenape Heights climate

Lenape Heights Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ford City 4 S Dam, 5.5 km from Lenape Heights, elevation 930 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ford City 4 S Dam. 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 May 4 and the first fall freeze around October 16, a growing season of about 164 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 16, first October 5
Median at 32°F
last May 4, first October 16
Median at 28°F
last April 23, first October 28

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 31May 26May 22May 19May 16May 12May 9May 5Apr 30
32°FMay 20May 15May 10May 6May 4Apr 30Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20
28°FMay 9May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10
24°FApr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27
20°FApr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15
16°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 22Sep 26Oct 1Oct 2Oct 5Oct 7Oct 11Oct 13Oct 18
32°FOct 2Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
28°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8
24°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 5
16°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21

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°F163155150146142138134130123
32°F185178173168164160156151143
28°F206200195191187184179172165
24°F230223219215211206203198192
20°F255247242238234230226222215
16°F278271266261256251246240233

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
6,194
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
617
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,957
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,804
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,793
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,921
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,191

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,19503
February1,02303
March870021
April494395
May22236299
June48123525
July8212670
August12175628
September11661398
October4257128
November738020
December1,04304

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 5.5 km from Lenape Heights. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00362942 (Ford City 4 S Dam). Public domain.