Berea climate

Berea Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greenville Dwtn AP, 10.9 km from Berea, elevation 1048 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenville Dwtn AP. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 250 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 29, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last March 3, first December 3

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°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13
32°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 26
28°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 5
24°FMar 13Mar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17
20°FMar 1Feb 16Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 16Jan 8Dec 31
16°FFeb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 25Jan 20Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Dec 29

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 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
32°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7
28°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 20Jan 1
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 22Dec 29Jan 3Jan 10Jan 19
20°FDec 11Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 23Feb 1
16°FDec 22Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 13Jan 18Jan 22Jan 28Feb 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°F248241234230225220215209203
32°F275266260256250245240234226
28°F311298292285278271266259249
24°F344333326318310303295287274
20°F365362354346339334327317303
16°F365365365365365359350343331

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
81% of years
16°F or colder
44% 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
2,646
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,035
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,633
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,994
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,506
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,178
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,020

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January650045
February487270
March33314198
April11968405
May22215659
June1394843
July0507972
August0468933
September7287730
October11171428
November3467161
December572163

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 10.9 km from Berea. 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 USW00013886 (Greenville Dwtn AP). Public domain.