Eagleville climate

Eagleville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Christiana 5W, 15.3 km from Eagleville, elevation 750 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Christiana 5W. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 2

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 12May 6May 1Apr 30Apr 26Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 12
32°FApr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 14
24°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Feb 28
20°FMar 28Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 13
16°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10Feb 3Jan 27

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 3Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28
32°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20
16°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 4

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°F192185180176172168165160152
32°F213206201195192188184178172
28°F238230224219215210206201195
24°F264256249244239235229223216
20°F295284277270265259253247239
16°F327316307301295288281274262

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
4,064
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,248
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,840
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,407
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,129
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,020
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,061

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January883018
February696131
March535394
April27520234
May9290467
June4242688
July0351815
August1331795
September31178597
October23330287
November530275
December783028

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 15.3 km from Eagleville. 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 USC00401720 (Christiana 5W). Public domain.