Springfield climate

Springfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Springfield Exp Stn, 5.7 km from Springfield, elevation 745 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Springfield Exp Stn. 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 28, a growing season of about 201 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 6

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 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 4
32°FApr 28Apr 22Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 8
24°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23
20°FMar 25Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7
16°FMar 14Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Jan 31Jan 21

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 10Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30
32°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 10
28°FOct 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 26
24°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 10
20°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 18Dec 23Dec 27Jan 1Jan 11

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°F200193188184180176171167159
32°F224216211205201196192186180
28°F251241235230225220214208200
24°F277268260253248243238231222
20°F302293285280274268261252243
16°F330320311306299293285278267

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
4,027
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,545
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,216
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,790
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,509
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,372
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,386

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January894021
February709031
March5328111
April25539276
May81138524
June6301745
July0416880
August1379843
September33210627
October22348316
November5095102
December785132

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 5.7 km from Springfield. 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 USC00408562 (Springfield Exp Stn). Public domain.