Gardendale climate

Gardendale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Odessa Schlemeyer Fld, 11.1 km from Gardendale, elevation 3001 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Odessa Schlemeyer Fld. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 235 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 19, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first November 21

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 23Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 14
32°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 1
28°FMar 27Mar 19Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15
24°FMar 14Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9Jan 31Jan 23
20°FMar 1Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 7Dec 27
16°FFeb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 19Jan 10Jan 2Dec 24Dec 12

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 20Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26
28°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 24
20°FNov 27Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 9Jan 21
16°FDec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9Jan 16Jan 23Feb 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°F233227221216212207204198190
32°F259251245240235231226220212
28°F285275269264259253249242233
24°F322307299292285280273266258
20°F361349339331324317309300288
16°F365365365365359351340333323

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
93% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,512
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,478
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,226
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,584
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,077
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,720
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,521

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January623046
February4433101
March27027260
April95105466
May18305752
June0501951
July05701,035
August05391,004
September8307749
October95111488
November35210176
December608049

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 11.1 km from Gardendale. 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 USW00003031 (Odessa Schlemeyer Fld). Public domain.