Cottle County climate

Cottle County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Paducah, 8.1 km from Cottle County, elevation 1900 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Paducah. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 223 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 15, first November 16

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

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 16Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2
24°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14
20°FNov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 18Dec 24Jan 2
16°FNov 27Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 26

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°F222215210205201198193188180
32°F245238232228223218212207200
28°F269261254250245240235228219
24°F293285279273267262256250242
20°F328316307300294288282275265
16°F365350340333326318309302291

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
93% 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
3,163
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,239
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,515
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,963
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,547
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,287
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,185

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January736027
February566258
March38115186
April16263368
May40219646
June1436885
July05771,042
August05431,007
September15296731
October13481424
November4148144
December713031

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 8.1 km from Cottle 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 USC00416740 (Paducah). Public domain.