Weimar Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Columbus. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 255 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 23, first November 9
- Median at 32°F
- last March 9, first November 20
- Median at 28°F
- last February 25, first December 3
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 13 | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 |
| 32°F | Mar 31 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F | Mar 19 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Feb 1 | Jan 22 |
| 24°F | Mar 9 | Mar 1 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 | Feb 7 | Jan 31 | Jan 24 | Jan 13 | Dec 30 |
| 20°F | Mar 1 | Feb 17 | Feb 4 | Jan 28 | Jan 20 | Jan 13 | Jan 5 | Dec 30 | Dec 15 |
| 16°F | Feb 23 | Feb 6 | Jan 29 | Jan 18 | Jan 11 | Jan 5 | Jan 1 | Dec 26 | Dec 13 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 21 | Oct 29 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 | Dec 2 |
| 32°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 13 |
| 28°F | Nov 6 | Nov 14 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 | Dec 27 | Jan 4 |
| 24°F | Nov 17 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 20 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Feb 1 |
| 20°F | Nov 28 | Dec 7 | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 11 | Jan 20 | Feb 7 |
| 16°F | Dec 6 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 17 | Jan 28 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 265 | 252 | 244 | 238 | 231 | 225 | 219 | 213 | 203 |
| 32°F | 291 | 278 | 270 | 261 | 255 | 248 | 241 | 233 | 223 |
| 28°F | 328 | 313 | 302 | 293 | 284 | 276 | 267 | 258 | 247 |
| 24°F | 365 | 349 | 337 | 330 | 320 | 311 | 303 | 292 | 276 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 363 | 352 | 342 | 333 | 321 | 304 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 357 | 340 |
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
- 99% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 90% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 64% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 27% 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
- 1,556
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,984
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 10,590
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,836
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 7,171
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,627
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,225
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 434 | 11 | 141 |
| February | 287 | 24 | 207 |
| March | 161 | 69 | 390 |
| April | 49 | 146 | 549 |
| May | 4 | 341 | 801 |
| June | 0 | 494 | 943 |
| July | 0 | 574 | 1,039 |
| August | 0 | 597 | 1,062 |
| September | 2 | 431 | 879 |
| October | 42 | 216 | 640 |
| November | 197 | 62 | 340 |
| December | 380 | 21 | 181 |
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 20 km from Weimar. 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 USC00411911 (Columbus). Public domain.