Dunean Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenville. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 225 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 8, first October 29
- Median at 32°F
- last March 28, first November 7
- Median at 28°F
- last March 16, 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 27 | Apr 20 | Apr 16 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 24 |
| 32°F | Apr 12 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 25 | Mar 21 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 |
| 28°F | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 25 |
| 24°F | Mar 22 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 11 | Jan 31 |
| 20°F | Mar 7 | Feb 28 | Feb 20 | Feb 12 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 8 |
| 16°F | Feb 21 | Feb 9 | Feb 2 | Jan 30 | Jan 24 | Jan 19 | Jan 14 | Jan 8 | Jan 1 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 |
| 32°F | Oct 24 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 26 |
| 28°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 11 |
| 24°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 27 | Jan 3 |
| 20°F | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 23 |
| 16°F | Dec 13 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 222 | 215 | 210 | 205 | 201 | 197 | 193 | 187 | 182 |
| 32°F | 247 | 240 | 234 | 229 | 225 | 220 | 216 | 211 | 205 |
| 28°F | 279 | 270 | 263 | 257 | 253 | 248 | 242 | 236 | 227 |
| 24°F | 316 | 304 | 295 | 289 | 283 | 277 | 271 | 264 | 254 |
| 20°F | 353 | 342 | 333 | 325 | 317 | 310 | 304 | 296 | 283 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 361 | 354 | 346 | 337 | 331 | 322 | 310 |
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
- 97% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 72% 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
- 3,337
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,398
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,394
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,851
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,479
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,279
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,251
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 752 | 0 | 20 |
| February | 585 | 0 | 30 |
| March | 434 | 3 | 123 |
| April | 192 | 29 | 299 |
| May | 51 | 110 | 524 |
| June | 4 | 285 | 730 |
| July | 0 | 388 | 852 |
| August | 0 | 363 | 828 |
| September | 16 | 192 | 625 |
| October | 185 | 27 | 317 |
| November | 448 | 2 | 98 |
| December | 670 | 0 | 33 |
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 5.1 km from Dunean. 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 USC00383735 (Greenville). Public domain.