Baxter climate

Baxter Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cookeville, 13.7 km from Baxter, elevation 1090 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cookeville. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 195 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 3

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°FMay 11May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12
32°FApr 30Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19Mar 12
24°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2Feb 23
20°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 5
16°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 21

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 6Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 21
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
20°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 18Dec 26
16°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14

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°F193187183179174171166162155
32°F217210204199195191187181175
28°F242233227222218214209204197
24°F271261256250244239234227220
20°F304293286280273266262256247
16°F334326317310304298290284272

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
99% 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
4,014
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,269
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,884
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,443
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,159
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,038
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,080

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January867021
February695025
March539391
April27318236
May88100479
June7250693
July0363828
August1328792
September33172590
October23633288
November520384
December757032

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 13.7 km from Baxter. 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 USC00402009 (Cookeville). Public domain.