Alba climate

Alba Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake Fk Rsvr, 10.5 km from Alba, elevation 414 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake Fk Rsvr. 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 March 7 and the first fall freeze around November 23, a growing season of about 260 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 22, first November 10
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 23
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 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°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 1
32°FMar 28Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15
28°FMar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 28
24°FMar 3Feb 25Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 7
20°FFeb 21Feb 11Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 13Jan 4Dec 24
16°FFeb 14Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 13Jan 7Jan 1Dec 23

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 26Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 30
32°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
28°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Jan 2
24°FNov 27Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Dec 29Jan 3Jan 9Jan 22
20°FDec 7Dec 16Dec 25Jan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 15Jan 27Feb 5
16°FDec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 24Jan 31Feb 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°F261250244238233227221216208
32°F286277271265260253249242231
28°F320308300293287280274267258
24°F356341333326319311304297286
20°F365365365359350342334325311
16°F365365365365365365363351335

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
68% of years
16°F or colder
31% 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
2,423
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,380
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,205
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,549
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,027
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,651
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,434

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January625254
February454491
March28721243
April10875422
May16232681
June0434883
July05581,023
August05601,024
September5350795
October84121506
November29922221
December545484

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 10.5 km from Alba. 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 USC00414976 (Lake Fk Rsvr). Public domain.