Covington climate

Covington Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Covington 3 Sw, 5.1 km from Covington, elevation 385 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Covington 3 Sw. 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 March 27 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 16

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 26Apr 20Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 22
32°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 8
28°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26
24°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 10
20°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 2Jan 24
16°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 8

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 15Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15Nov 21
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21
20°FNov 21Nov 28Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 25Jan 1Jan 8
16°FDec 6Dec 15Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 17Jan 27

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°F220213208204200196192187180
32°F247238231227222218213208201
28°F273263258253248244239232224
24°F301290284278273268262257246
20°F331319310304298293286277269
16°F360348338331325318311304294

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
92% 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
3,724
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,636
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,501
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,038
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,713
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,538
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,512

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January856023
February668034
March4798127
April21440300
May53155568
June2335783
July0436901
August0394859
September22214642
October19150341
November4835105
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 5.1 km from Covington. 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 USC00402108 (Covington 3 Sw). Public domain.