Bell Buckle climate

Bell Buckle Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Shelbyville Water Dept, 15.7 km from Bell Buckle, elevation 760 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Shelbyville Water Dept. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 6

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 5May 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 4
32°FApr 23Apr 18Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 19
28°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 6
24°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 21
20°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 3
16°FMar 11Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 15

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 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Nov 1
32°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 25
24°FNov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
20°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 29
16°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 8Jan 16

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°F203196192187183178174169162
32°F225218212208204199195190183
28°F250241236231226221216211206
24°F278267261255250246240232226
20°F310299291285279273266258249
16°F341330322315308302294286275

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
3,523
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,602
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,564
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,067
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,716
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,520
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,483

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January802027
February624139
March4536131
April20037306
May54142554
June3313760
July0429894
August0397862
September19223654
October18449346
November4744103
December712140

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 15.7 km from Bell Buckle. 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 USC00408246 (Shelbyville Water Dept). Public domain.