Chesterfield climate

Chesterfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chesterfield 3 E, 4.7 km from Chesterfield, elevation 205 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chesterfield 3 E. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 13

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 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 27
32°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16
28°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Feb 28
24°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 7
20°FMar 14Mar 6Feb 28Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 17
16°FMar 4Feb 22Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 5

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 13Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
28°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 27Dec 2
24°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7Dec 15Dec 28
20°FNov 19Nov 28Dec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 27Jan 2Jan 6Jan 14
16°FDec 6Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 14Jan 19Feb 1

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°F218210205201197193188184175
32°F243233226221216212207201195
28°F269258251244238233228221214
24°F304291283275268262255247237
20°F340327317308302294287279267
16°F365360350342336330320310299

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
83% 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
2,789
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,990
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,483
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,876
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,418
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,116
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,973

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January655159
February503375
March35914188
April14768381
May32195628
June1379828
July0494959
August0454919
September8289730
October13081422
November37410154
December578375

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 4.7 km from Chesterfield. 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 USC00381645 (Chesterfield 3 E). Public domain.