Carthage climate

Carthage Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carthage, 0.9 km from Carthage, elevation 515 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carthage. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 201 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 10, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 30, 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 9May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9
32°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 9
24°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 24
20°FMar 24Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 4
16°FMar 10Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 13Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 19

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 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 22Dec 30
16°FNov 28Dec 4Dec 10Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 8Jan 18

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°F199192188183179176171166160
32°F220214209205201198194189181
28°F246236231227223219214209201
24°F278267260255250244239232224
20°F308299292284279273266259249
16°F340330322315309305296288277

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
3,807
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,457
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,218
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,760
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,450
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,296
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,301

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January851022
February671128
March5084103
April23825269
May75118509
June5283727
July0405869
August1367831
September21209637
October20342324
November491397
December743032

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 0.9 km from Carthage. 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 USC00401480 (Carthage). Public domain.