Ware Shoals climate

Ware Shoals Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Greenwood CO AP, 18.5 km from Ware Shoals, elevation 631 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Greenwood 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 April 1 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 19, first November 13

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 27Apr 23Apr 19Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 28
32°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 7Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 14
28°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 3Feb 25
24°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 3
20°FMar 14Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 30Jan 24Jan 13
16°FFeb 24Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 21Jan 15Jan 7Dec 30

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 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5
32°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
28°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 3
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 16Dec 29
20°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 3Jan 9Jan 20
16°FDec 6Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 21Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F218209204200196192188182174
32°F241231226220216212208202195
28°F271259253247242237231225217
24°F308296288279273267260253244
20°F346334325316310303295286276
16°F365365356347339333326315303

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
80% 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
3,048
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,676
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,925
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,347
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,933
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,677
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,591

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January695039
February532157
March3849163
April16743336
May40155580
June1330778
July0445910
August0408873
September13235672
October16045359
November4244114
December632152

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 18.5 km from Ware Shoals. 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 USW00053874 (Greenwood CO AP). Public domain.