Monteagle climate

Monteagle Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Monteagle, 1.8 km from Monteagle, elevation 1850 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Monteagle. 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 28, 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 28
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 7

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 8May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 9
32°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11
24°FApr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 27
20°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 9
16°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 25

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 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31
32°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 12
28°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17Dec 27
16°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 19Dec 25Dec 29Jan 3Jan 12

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°F198191187183178175171166159
32°F220214209204201197192188180
28°F248240234228223219215210203
24°F277267259253248242238231223
20°F301291285279273266259252244
16°F331319310304298292285278267

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
4,257
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
967
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,431
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,022
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,766
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,673
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,740

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January919012
February721020
March558289
April28515228
May10467432
June12186624
July1280744
August4263724
September42135543
October25919257
November548171
December803022

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 1.8 km from Monteagle. 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 USC00406162 (Monteagle). Public domain.