Baileys Crossroads climate

Baileys Crossroads Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Washington Reagan AP, 8.3 km from Baileys Crossroads, elevation 10 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Washington Reagan AP. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 241 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last March 12, 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20
32°FApr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 7
28°FMar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 23
24°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 8
20°FMar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 15Feb 8Feb 3Jan 29Jan 16
16°FFeb 24Feb 16Feb 9Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 9

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 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20
32°FNov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 6
28°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 24
24°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17Dec 22Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 12
20°FDec 13Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 20Jan 29
16°FDec 26Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 14Jan 18Jan 24Jan 28Feb 5

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°F235229224220216214211207202
32°F265256250245241237232226220
28°F292285279273268262256250242
24°F318310303298293288283277269
20°F348334328323318311306300292
16°F365365357346337333328319310

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
78% 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
3,769
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,738
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,470
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,006
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,709
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,567
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,577

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January854012
February699018
March544381
April23632267
May63132535
June4343789
July0496961
August0446911
September16238672
October17545343
November455298
December724023

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 8.3 km from Baileys Crossroads. 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 USW00013743 (Washington Reagan AP). Public domain.