Big Sandy climate

Big Sandy Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Big Sandy, 0.5 km from Big Sandy, elevation 365 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Big Sandy. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 202 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 8, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 8

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 3Apr 28Apr 25Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 5
32°FApr 23Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 6
24°FApr 3Mar 27Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
20°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 9Jan 31
16°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 14

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 5Oct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31
32°FOct 14Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 12
28°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 27
24°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
20°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 28
16°FNov 27Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 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°F202195190185181178174169162
32°F224217211206202199194189182
28°F252241234229225220214208200
24°F279270264258253247241235224
20°F311300293288280275269260250
16°F342331322314308302296289278

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
98% 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
3,658
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,618
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,508
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,033
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,704
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,524
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,492

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January834028
February638145
March4639134
April21544305
May56149559
June2321769
July0429894
August0397862
September24215641
October20348328
November4744106
December749134

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 0.5 km from Big Sandy. 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 USC00400705 (Big Sandy). Public domain.