Rains County climate

Rains County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Emory, 1.2 km from Rains County, elevation 484 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Emory. 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 12, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 26

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 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22Mar 15
32°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27
28°FMar 28Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16
24°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 26
20°FMar 4Feb 26Feb 18Feb 10Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 15Jan 2
16°FFeb 22Feb 12Feb 4Jan 28Jan 21Jan 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 18Oct 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 18
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12
24°FNov 16Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 23Jan 2
20°FNov 30Dec 8Dec 14Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14Jan 28
16°FDec 11Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 10Jan 18Jan 28Feb 9

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°F239230224219214209204197189
32°F265256248243238233227221212
28°F291281274269263258252246237
24°F326313305298291285277270260
20°F365351341334327319309301292
16°F365365365365359350342333320

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
90% of years
16°F or colder
58% 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
2,667
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,119
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,733
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,107
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,625
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,297
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,123

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January646151
February499375
March31817218
April13456378
May25201642
June1398847
July0515979
August0499964
September8319760
October10392459
November33716188
December596364

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 1.2 km from Rains 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 USC00412902 (Emory). Public domain.