White House climate

White House Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for White House, 2.2 km from White House, elevation 820 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for White House. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 206 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 19, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 8

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

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

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°F202195191187183179175169162
32°F227219214210206201197192186
28°F250241236232227223219214206
24°F275267260255250244240235227
20°F304294286280274269262256248
16°F330319312306301295287280270

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
3,946
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,484
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,193
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,754
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,459
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,315
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,325

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January879022
February703031
March5276107
April24235279
May73131525
June4286732
July0417882
August1371835
September29192614
October21042316
November510387
December770031

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 2.2 km from White House. 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 USC00409709 (White House). Public domain.