Wakefield climate

Wakefield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Octoraro Lake, 11.8 km from Wakefield, elevation 260 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Octoraro Lake. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 179 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 4, first October 13
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 11, first October 31

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 19May 15May 11May 8May 4May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 21
32°FMay 10May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 9
28°FApr 30Apr 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26
24°FApr 15Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
20°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 27
16°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16

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 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25
32°FOct 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
28°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13
24°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 30
20°FNov 5Nov 12Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18
16°FNov 20Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F178171166162159155151147140
32°F198191187183179175171167159
28°F223215211207202198194188182
24°F253243238232228224218213204
20°F281271266260254249243237228
16°F307298290285280275269262251

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
5,357
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
897
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,606
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,367
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,280
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,341
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,545

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,07302
February91603
March753024
April4138123
May16651356
June24177603
July1303767
August5250710
September7397475
October34712180
November657031
December93207

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 11.8 km from Wakefield. 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 USC00366508 (Octoraro Lake). Public domain.