Beebe Plain Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Newport. 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 May 14 and the first fall freeze around September 30, a growing season of about 138 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 27, first September 19
- Median at 32°F
- last May 14, first September 30
- Median at 28°F
- last May 1, first October 10
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 | Jun 8 | Jun 4 | Jun 1 | May 30 | May 27 | May 24 | May 21 | May 18 | May 13 |
| 32°F | May 28 | May 23 | May 20 | May 16 | May 14 | May 11 | May 8 | May 5 | May 1 |
| 28°F | May 14 | May 9 | May 6 | May 3 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 |
| 24°F | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 20 | Apr 18 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 |
| 20°F | Apr 22 | Apr 18 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 11 | Apr 9 | Apr 7 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 |
| 16°F | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 |
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 | Sep 6 | Sep 11 | Sep 14 | Sep 17 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 |
| 32°F | Sep 17 | Sep 22 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 13 |
| 28°F | Sep 28 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 28 |
| 24°F | Oct 5 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 20°F | Oct 17 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 16°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 |
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 | 134 | 127 | 123 | 119 | 116 | 112 | 108 | 104 | 97 |
| 32°F | 155 | 150 | 145 | 142 | 138 | 135 | 130 | 126 | 120 |
| 28°F | 180 | 174 | 169 | 164 | 161 | 157 | 153 | 149 | 144 |
| 24°F | 202 | 196 | 192 | 188 | 184 | 180 | 176 | 171 | 165 |
| 20°F | 223 | 217 | 212 | 209 | 205 | 202 | 197 | 191 | 185 |
| 16°F | 239 | 234 | 229 | 225 | 222 | 219 | 215 | 212 | 205 |
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
- 100% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 100% 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
- 8,691
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 264
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 3,624
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,693
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 1,880
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,190
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 641
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,592 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,371 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 1,217 | 0 | 2 |
| April | 751 | 1 | 22 |
| May | 371 | 10 | 163 |
| June | 131 | 52 | 373 |
| July | 37 | 104 | 532 |
| August | 63 | 74 | 476 |
| September | 238 | 23 | 256 |
| October | 614 | 1 | 51 |
| November | 954 | 0 | 5 |
| December | 1,353 | 0 | 0 |
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 7.4 km from Beebe Plain. 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 USC00435542 (Newport). Public domain.