Centerville climate

Centerville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Centerville, 0.3 km from Centerville, elevation 320 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Centerville. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 26

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 22Apr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20Mar 13
32°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28
28°FMar 29Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 7
24°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 8Feb 1Jan 26Jan 14
20°FMar 3Feb 20Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 5Dec 26
16°FFeb 22Feb 2Jan 28Jan 19Jan 13Jan 8Jan 5Jan 2Dec 25

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

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°F240231224219213209204199192
32°F266257249244239233227220212
28°F297285279272265259252244235
24°F340327316308300294285276262
20°F365365358346339333324313300
16°F365365365365365365360351335

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
76% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,179
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,475
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,503
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,815
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,250
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,831
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,570

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January552478
February3968123
March25631275
April9493452
May13258710
June0444894
July05531,018
August05561,021
September4362808
October74130524
November28028243
December5108102

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 0.3 km from Centerville. 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 USC00411596 (Centerville). Public domain.