Rising Star climate

Rising Star Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rising Star 1S, 1.6 km from Rising Star, elevation 1633 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rising Star 1S. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 9, 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 24Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 17
32°FApr 14Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 3
28°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19
24°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 15Feb 10Feb 3
20°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 20Feb 13Feb 8Feb 4Jan 30Jan 21Jan 8
16°FFeb 27Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 20Jan 15Jan 4Dec 23

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 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 28
28°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 11
24°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 28
20°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 6Dec 14Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 9Jan 21
16°FDec 8Dec 18Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 10Jan 17Jan 26Feb 6

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°F233224217213208204199192186
32°F256247241235230225220213204
28°F282271265259254249242235226
24°F315303294288282275269262251
20°F350337329321315308300292281
16°F365365365359348339332322309

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
95% of years
16°F or colder
69% 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
2,652
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,234
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,868
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,237
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,748
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,420
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,243

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January657039
February493166
March31518221
April12469403
May22232674
June1421870
July05361,001
August0530995
September11311750
October92104484
November34413188
December592057

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 1.6 km from Rising Star. 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 USC00417633 (Rising Star 1S). Public domain.