Clover climate

Clover Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gastonia Muni AP, 11.5 km from Clover, elevation 797 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gastonia Muni 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 22

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 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20
32°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
28°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19
24°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 29
20°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Feb 1Jan 27Jan 19Jan 11
16°FFeb 23Feb 7Feb 1Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 13Jan 8Dec 31

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 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
32°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 26
28°FNov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 5Dec 13
24°FNov 18Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 7
20°FDec 2Dec 10Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 16Jan 27
16°FDec 14Dec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 14Jan 18Jan 25Feb 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°F229222216211207203199194187
32°F256246240235230226221216208
28°F287276268262256251246240233
24°F323310302295289282274264254
20°F354341334328320312306297285
16°F365365365356349340334326310

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
71% 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
2,871
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,850
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,266
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,662
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,211
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,923
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,802

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January685043
February513266
March36813176
April14455369
May30173608
June1361810
July0479944
August0440905
September12258696
October13562397
November3866136
December597261

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 11.5 km from Clover. 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 USW00053870 (Gastonia Muni AP). Public domain.