Marshall climate

Marshall Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Marshall, 7.2 km from Marshall, elevation 302 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Marshall. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first November 24

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

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 19Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 11Nov 16
32°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 30
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
24°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 26Jan 5
20°FNov 28Dec 7Dec 13Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 30
16°FDec 11Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 14Jan 21Feb 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°F236226220215211206201195189
32°F261252244239233228223217208
28°F289279273266260255249244233
24°F329316307300293285277269260
20°F365356347338332325315304290
16°F365365365365365360350340328

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
87% of years
16°F or colder
45% 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
2,498
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,282
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,032
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,387
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,876
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,517
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,313

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January619261
February450596
March29623237
April11571411
May19226673
June0420870
July05381,003
August05351,000
September6338781
October101103471
November32817195
December565479

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 7.2 km from Marshall. 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 USC00415618 (Marshall). Public domain.