Fayette County climate

Fayette County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for La Grange, 6.1 km from Fayette County, elevation 357 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for La Grange. 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 4 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 267 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 17, first November 12
Median at 32°F
last March 4, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last February 15, first December 10

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 6Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
32°FMar 25Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16Feb 6
28°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 13
24°FMar 3Feb 21Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 12Jan 4Dec 22
20°FFeb 20Feb 6Jan 31Jan 21Jan 14Jan 9Jan 3Dec 27Dec 16
16°FFeb 6Feb 2Jan 24Jan 15Jan 10Jan 6Jan 2Dec 23Dec 14

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 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 3Dec 9Dec 19
28°FNov 18Nov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16Dec 25Jan 1Jan 10
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 17Feb 2
20°FDec 9Dec 17Dec 27Jan 2Jan 5Jan 11Jan 18Jan 29Feb 7
16°FDec 14Dec 23Jan 2Jan 5Jan 8Jan 12Jan 20Jan 31Feb 5

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°F268259250245240235230224215
32°F298287279274267262254246238
28°F337326314306299293286277266
24°F365365353344336328320307295
20°F365365365365365365358344330
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
76% of years
20°F or colder
38% of years
16°F or colder
12% 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
1,620
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,092
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,636
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,887
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,228
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,696
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,314

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4439135
February31016181
March17256364
April48152554
May4348809
June0514964
July06251,090
August06371,102
September1446895
October41216641
November20355325
December39717169

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 6.1 km from Fayette County. 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 USC00414903 (La Grange). Public domain.