Rural Hill climate

Rural Hill Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gladeville, 10.7 km from Rural Hill, elevation 600 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gladeville. 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 21, a growing season of about 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first October 30

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 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 22Apr 18Apr 12
32°FApr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18
24°FApr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10Mar 4
20°FApr 1Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 16
16°FMar 21Mar 13Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1

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 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25
32°FOct 7Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
24°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 26
20°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 10
16°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 22Dec 31

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°F187180175171167163159155148
32°F208202196192187183179174166
28°F229222217212208204200194186
24°F256248241235230225220214207
20°F283273267261255250244238226
16°F316304296290283277272264253

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
4,078
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,422
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,014
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,588
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,318
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,206
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,242

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January884023
February702128
March531396
April25829257
May80122509
June4286732
July0399863
August1367831
September34186602
October24329280
November546270
December794028

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 10.7 km from Rural Hill. 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 USC00403465 (Gladeville). Public domain.