Pilot Point climate

Pilot Point Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pilot Point Isl Du Boi, 5.9 km from Pilot Point, elevation 690 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pilot Point Isl Du Boi. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 237 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 27

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 17Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 16
32°FApr 13Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4
28°FApr 1Mar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11Feb 1
20°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 26Jan 13
16°FMar 2Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Feb 3Jan 29Jan 20Jan 11Dec 27

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 23Oct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
32°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2
28°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16
24°FNov 16Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15Dec 20Dec 29Jan 7
20°FNov 30Dec 5Dec 12Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 7Jan 14Jan 29
16°FDec 8Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 14Jan 20Feb 1Feb 11

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°F239231225220216211205199191
32°F263256248242237232225218210
28°F289278272266260255249242234
24°F320308301295288281274268257
20°F357340332324316308301293281
16°F365365365355343333325313302

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
94% of years
16°F or colder
72% 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
2,577
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,534
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,228
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,594
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,094
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,756
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,569

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January657042
February486373
March30323234
April11276421
May19226672
June1464913
July06061,071
August06211,086
September8374816
October82124511
November31818206
December591150

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 5.9 km from Pilot Point. 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 USC00417028 (Pilot Point Isl Du Boi). Public domain.