Powderly climate

Powderly Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Paris, 15.5 km from Powderly, elevation 542 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Paris. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 247 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first December 1

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 16Apr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 6
32°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 24
28°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 9
24°FMar 12Mar 5Mar 1Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 21
20°FMar 1Feb 21Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 19Jan 11Dec 30
16°FFeb 18Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 20Jan 14Jan 6Dec 31Dec 20

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 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 23
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6
28°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 21
24°FNov 20Nov 30Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16Dec 23Dec 28Jan 4Jan 12
20°FDec 7Dec 14Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 20Feb 3
16°FDec 12Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 18Jan 28Feb 7

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°F248240234229223218212206197
32°F275265257252247243236229220
28°F305295287281274269263256245
24°F337326317309302297289281269
20°F365358347340333326317307296
16°F365365365365365355345334322

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
86% of years
16°F or colder
52% 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
2,636
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,652
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,326
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,711
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,223
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,880
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,689

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January672147
February487486
March31123234
April11784425
May19258704
June1483933
July06291,094
August06241,089
September7385828
October91136515
November33321201
December598367

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 15.5 km from Powderly. 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 USC00416794 (Paris). Public domain.