White Pine climate

White Pine Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Morristown Radio Wcrk, 11.7 km from White Pine, elevation 1344 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Morristown Radio Wcrk. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 201 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 10, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 29, 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 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 11Apr 5
32°FApr 26Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 11
24°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 2Feb 24
20°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 20Feb 14Feb 5
16°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Feb 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 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 16Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
28°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 22
24°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
20°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 28
16°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 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°F200194189185181177173168160
32°F221213209205201198194188181
28°F248240234229224220215211203
24°F274266259253248243238233226
20°F307298289282276269263256246
16°F339328321313306301294286275

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
4,017
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,252
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,832
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,400
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,129
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,018
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,058

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January879013
February688020
March530292
April26119243
May80100487
June6250694
July0361826
August0323787
September28166588
October23128285
November537273
December777022

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 11.7 km from White Pine. 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 USC00406271 (Morristown Radio Wcrk). Public domain.