Gilbert climate

Gilbert Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Batesburg, 13.6 km from Gilbert, elevation 660 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Batesburg. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first December 4

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 9Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 28Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16
32°FApr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 8Feb 28
28°FMar 25Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 17Feb 6
24°FMar 16Mar 8Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Feb 3Jan 28Jan 17
20°FMar 2Feb 18Feb 10Feb 3Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 12Jan 3
16°FFeb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 15Jan 11Jan 7Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 23Oct 27Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 22
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 9
28°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 25Jan 2
24°FDec 1Dec 6Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20
20°FDec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 16Jan 23Feb 1
16°FDec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 9Jan 13Jan 16Jan 22Jan 29Feb 3

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°F242234228223220216212206200
32°F270261254249244239234227220
28°F305294286279274267261255247
24°F342329320312305299291283273
20°F365364352344335332323312303
16°F365365365365365362351339329

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
82% of years
16°F or colder
46% 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
2,636
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,940
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,544
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,907
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,407
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,075
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,917

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January626060
February488173
March35014193
April13555377
May27195632
June1377826
July0482947
August0449914
September8285727
October10674435
November3488156
December548167

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 13.6 km from Gilbert. 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 USC00380506 (Batesburg). Public domain.