White Bluff climate

White Bluff Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kingston Springs, 9.5 km from White Bluff, elevation 517 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kingston Springs. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 195 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 13, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 4

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 9May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9
32°FApr 30Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1Mar 27
28°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
24°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 26
20°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7
16°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 5Jan 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 3Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 19
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 3
20°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 20
16°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9

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°F194187183178174170167162154
32°F215208204200195191186182174
28°F242232226221217212208202194
24°F269259252246240236229224217
20°F299288282275269263257251242
16°F332321313306299293286278269

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
3,749
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,613
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,426
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,962
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,643
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,481
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,471

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January834025
February663134
March4868124
April22739290
May66142541
June4313759
July0434899
August1405869
September25220645
October20545324
November4945100
December746134

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 9.5 km from White Bluff. 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 USC00404876 (Kingston Springs). Public domain.