Pelion climate

Pelion Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pelion 0.8 Nw, 1.5 km from Pelion, elevation 451 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pelion 0.8 Nw. 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 4, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 14

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 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25
32°FApr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14
28°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28
24°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 6
20°FMar 15Mar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 15
16°FMar 4Feb 20Feb 10Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 17Jan 6Dec 27

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 14Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
24°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 12Dec 24
20°FNov 22Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9Dec 14Dec 23Dec 31Jan 6Jan 19
16°FDec 3Dec 13Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 14Jan 22Feb 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°F222215211207203200196191186
32°F241234229225221217213208201
28°F267259252247242237232227220
24°F302290281274268262256249241
20°F340328318308301294288279266
16°F365365353344335329320310296

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
82% 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
2,373
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,339
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,188
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,519
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,986
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,608
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,388

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January577276
February447393
March30221232
April10391443
May16259708
June0435885
July05501,015
August0510975
September4333778
October90113492
November32418194
December510394

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 1.5 km from Pelion. 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 USC00386775 (Pelion 0.8 Nw). Public domain.