Crossville climate

Crossville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Crossville Mem AP, 4.9 km from Crossville, elevation 1867 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Crossville Mem AP. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 189 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 1

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 16May 10May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 19Apr 14
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 30
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 15
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Feb 28
20°FMar 28Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 13
16°FMar 21Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 7Jan 30

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 2Oct 6Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 27
32°FOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 4
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Dec 2
20°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 18
16°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 5

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°F188180176172167162157153147
32°F211204199194189185180174166
28°F237228223218213209205199190
24°F264252246240236231225220213
20°F289279272266261255249242232
16°F321307300292286279272264254

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
100% 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
4,394
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
890
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,235
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,844
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,613
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,547
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,640

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January919013
February734017
March590172
April30012211
May11560414
June15172607
July1274738
August2247710
September51110509
October28314235
November572163
December812022

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 4.9 km from Crossville. 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 USW00003847 (Crossville Mem AP). Public domain.