Lynchburg climate

Lynchburg Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lynchburg, 2 km from Lynchburg, elevation 810 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lynchburg. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 15, 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 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 12
32°FApr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
24°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 6Feb 28
20°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 8
16°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 24

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 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 19
24°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 28Dec 4
20°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 22
16°FNov 22Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 3Jan 14

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°F192185180176172169164159153
32°F214207202197192189185180172
28°F238229224219215210205200192
24°F266257251244239233228222214
20°F296288279272267261256249238
16°F332321312306300293287278266

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
99% 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
3,889
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,392
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,086
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,641
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,341
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,204
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,226

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January845024
February674129
March5063104
April25522251
May76115506
June3279726
July0392857
August1356820
September29189611
October22033302
November518281
December763031

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 2 km from Lynchburg. 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 USC00405525 (Lynchburg). Public domain.