Bedford climate

Bedford Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bedford, 1.4 km from Bedford, elevation 894 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bedford. 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 April 7 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 9

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°FMay 7May 1Apr 28Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7
32°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25
28°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
24°FApr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 27
20°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11
16°FMar 14Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 14Feb 9Feb 4Jan 29

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 8Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1
32°FOct 16Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25
24°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 17
20°FNov 22Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9
16°FDec 7Dec 14Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 26

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°F201195190186182179174170163
32°F223216211207204200196191182
28°F250240234229225221216211204
24°F279268262257252246241235226
20°F311302295289284278272264254
16°F334326319313307302297290280

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
98% 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
4,062
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,162
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,651
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,218
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,955
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,857
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,926

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January857011
February722011
March560473
April25527249
May9875443
June13225663
July1359823
August1309773
September35147563
October24814250
November510181
December763016

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 1.4 km from Bedford. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00440551 (Bedford). Public domain.