Riverview Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rock Hill York CO 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 218 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 13, first October 26
- Median at 32°F
- last March 31, first November 4
- Median at 28°F
- last March 18, first November 16
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 28 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 29 |
| 32°F | Apr 15 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 5 | Feb 27 |
| 24°F | Mar 26 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 18 | Feb 8 |
| 20°F | Mar 14 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 17 | Feb 10 | Feb 4 | Jan 30 | Jan 20 |
| 16°F | Mar 3 | Feb 21 | Feb 12 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 19 | Jan 11 | Jan 2 |
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 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 |
| 32°F | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 19 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 |
| 24°F | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 19 | Dec 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 13 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 15 |
| 16°F | Dec 8 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 10 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Feb 1 |
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 | 215 | 209 | 204 | 200 | 196 | 193 | 189 | 184 | 178 |
| 32°F | 241 | 233 | 228 | 223 | 218 | 215 | 211 | 205 | 199 |
| 28°F | 269 | 260 | 253 | 248 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 227 | 219 |
| 24°F | 304 | 293 | 285 | 279 | 273 | 266 | 260 | 253 | 245 |
| 20°F | 340 | 328 | 320 | 311 | 305 | 299 | 292 | 283 | 269 |
| 16°F | 365 | 361 | 350 | 342 | 335 | 328 | 319 | 310 | 298 |
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
- 84% 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
- 3,141
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,706
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,895
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,335
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,934
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,692
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,615
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 724 | 0 | 34 |
| February | 559 | 1 | 51 |
| March | 402 | 8 | 152 |
| April | 170 | 42 | 333 |
| May | 40 | 153 | 578 |
| June | 1 | 343 | 792 |
| July | 0 | 457 | 922 |
| August | 0 | 415 | 880 |
| September | 14 | 235 | 670 |
| October | 159 | 46 | 360 |
| November | 427 | 4 | 114 |
| December | 646 | 1 | 48 |
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 7.3 km from Riverview. 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 USW00053871 (Rock Hill York CO AP). Public domain.