Sharon climate

Sharon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Dresden, 12 km from Sharon, elevation 450 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Dresden. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 212 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 23, first November 12

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 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 4Mar 30
32°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18
28°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 10Mar 4
24°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19
20°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 3
16°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 17

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 13Oct 17Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 4
32°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
28°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29
24°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
20°FNov 15Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 13Dec 20Dec 28
16°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16

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°F211204199194191187183179172
32°F234226221216212209203198192
28°F258251245240234230225221213
24°F286276269263257252248242233
20°F312302294288283276271264254
16°F340331323316309304297288278

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
3,899
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,581
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,318
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,883
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,589
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,442
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,436

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January887017
February691030
March5087113
April23038289
May61137541
June4314760
July0426891
August1397862
September25213639
October20644321
November5024101
December786025

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 12 km from Sharon. 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 USC00402600 (Dresden). Public domain.