Coldspring climate

Coldspring Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cleveland, 25.8 km from Coldspring, elevation 196 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cleveland. 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 20, a growing season of about 259 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 22, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 17, first December 4

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 13Apr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2
32°FMar 29Mar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 20Feb 8
28°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 11Feb 1Jan 27Jan 15
24°FMar 4Feb 20Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 12Jan 3Dec 24
20°FFeb 15Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 16Jan 10Jan 4Jan 1Dec 21
16°F–––––––––

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 25Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 28
32°FNov 2Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 10
28°FNov 11Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18Dec 29Jan 8
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 13Dec 21Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 18Feb 3
20°FDec 13Dec 23Dec 31Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 26Feb 5
16°F–––––––––

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°F262251244238233227221213205
32°F296282273267259252246238228
28°F333319309302294286278269257
24°F365365356345335330321307293
20°F365365365365365365361349334
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
98% of years
24°F or colder
80% of years
20°F or colder
37% of years
16°F or colder
9% 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
1,845
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,459
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,784
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,056
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,435
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,950
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,619

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4788119
February32914164
March19246337
April74104482
May8269725
June0430880
July0513978
August0522987
September2361808
October61147552
November25333264
December44813139

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 25.8 km from Coldspring. 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 USC00411810 (Cleveland). Public domain.