Murfreesboro climate

Murfreesboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Murfreesboro 5 N, 8.4 km from Murfreesboro, elevation 535 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Murfreesboro 5 N. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 202 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 28, 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 3Apr 30Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 6
32°FApr 26Apr 20Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 22
28°FApr 13Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 8
24°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21
20°FMar 23Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 2
16°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 13Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 19

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 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 26Oct 31
32°FOct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 11
28°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 27
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 9
20°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 12Dec 19Dec 28
16°FNov 26Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 17

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°F200193188184180175172167160
32°F225216211207202197193188180
28°F251242236232227222217211204
24°F276269262257252247241236226
20°F308299291284279273267260251
16°F339329322314308303295286277

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
98% 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
3,765
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,582
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,385
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,922
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,607
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,447
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,440

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January847024
February660134
March4975113
April23534280
May67133533
June4313759
July0428893
August1397862
September24220647
October20446328
November4895101
December740136

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 8.4 km from Murfreesboro. 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 USC00406371 (Murfreesboro 5 N). Public domain.