Big Stone Gap climate

Big Stone Gap Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Big Stone Gap, 5.5 km from Big Stone Gap, elevation 1466 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Big Stone Gap. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 186 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 20, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first November 1

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 17May 12May 8May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 4
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 20
24°FApr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
20°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 16
16°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 10Feb 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 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 28
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 30
20°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 7Dec 16
16°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1

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°F183178173169166162158153147
32°F206199194190186182178173166
28°F231224218214210206201196188
24°F260249244239234229224219212
20°F291281274268262256251245237
16°F326315306300292285277270259

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
4,663
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
863
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,994
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,651
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,474
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,451
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,579

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96406
February77709
March628053
April3356180
May12756400
June15171606
July2265728
August1239702
September48113515
October30313216
November606048
December857011

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 5.5 km from Big Stone Gap. 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 USC00440735 (Big Stone Gap). Public domain.