Coke County climate

Coke County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Robert Lee 4WSW, 0.8 km from Coke County, elevation 1914 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Robert Lee 4WSW. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 12, first November 17

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

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°F226218212207203199193188179
32°F249242236231226221215210202
28°F277269263257252247241234225
24°F305295288282276271265258249
20°F342332324316308302296288277
16°F365365354346338332326318305

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
77% 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
2,635
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,445
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,107
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,483
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,996
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,657
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,473

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January654146
February462490
March30623235
April110106454
May18291738
June1464913
July05911,055
August05441,009
September9312753
October10198468
November36012177
December614158

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 0.8 km from Coke County. 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 USC00417669 (Robert Lee 4WSW). Public domain.