Hampton County climate

Hampton County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hampton 1S, 7.7 km from Hampton County, elevation 95 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hampton 1S. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around November 26, a growing season of about 267 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 12
Median at 32°F
last March 6, first November 26
Median at 28°F
last February 14, first December 15

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 6Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Feb 28
32°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 8
28°FMar 13Mar 5Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 8Feb 3Jan 29Jan 16
24°FMar 3Feb 22Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 27Jan 19Jan 10Dec 31
20°FFeb 13Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 8Jan 1Dec 25
16°F–––––––––

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 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Dec 2
32°FNov 6Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 22
28°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 23Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16
24°FDec 6Dec 14Dec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 24Feb 4
20°FDec 15Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 25Jan 30Feb 8
16°F–––––––––

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°F265256249243238233228222213
32°F300289281273267260254247238
28°F336325315307300294285278267
24°F365361351343335329319308298
20°F365365365365365363352342330
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
81% of years
20°F or colder
38% of years
16°F or colder
7% 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
1,720
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,442
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,876
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,119
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,461
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,952
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,610

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4525119
February3256151
March19638323
April65114500
May8279736
June0438888
July05351,000
August0499964
September2352801
October53134547
November22534282
December3959152

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 7.7 km from Hampton County. 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 USC00383906 (Hampton 1S). Public domain.