Floyd Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Floyd 2 Ne. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around October 10, a growing season of about 159 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 11, first October 3
- Median at 32°F
- last April 30, first October 10
- Median at 28°F
- last April 20, first October 20
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 | May 26 | May 21 | May 16 | May 13 | May 11 | May 7 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 28 |
| 32°F | May 18 | May 12 | May 8 | May 4 | Apr 30 | Apr 28 | Apr 24 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 |
| 28°F | May 7 | Apr 30 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 5 |
| 24°F | Apr 22 | Apr 17 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 20 |
| 20°F | Apr 8 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F | Mar 28 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 16 |
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 17 | Sep 23 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 |
| 32°F | Sep 27 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 23 |
| 28°F | Oct 7 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 |
| 24°F | Oct 15 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 15 |
| 20°F | Oct 29 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 |
| 16°F | Nov 7 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 21 |
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 | 161 | 155 | 151 | 146 | 143 | 138 | 133 | 128 | 121 |
| 32°F | 180 | 174 | 168 | 163 | 159 | 155 | 151 | 147 | 140 |
| 28°F | 202 | 195 | 190 | 185 | 181 | 177 | 173 | 168 | 161 |
| 24°F | 228 | 220 | 215 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 197 | 192 | 185 |
| 20°F | 259 | 250 | 244 | 238 | 233 | 228 | 222 | 217 | 210 |
| 16°F | 292 | 282 | 275 | 268 | 262 | 258 | 251 | 245 | 236 |
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
- 5,424
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 480
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,031
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 3,788
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,712
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,798
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,050
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,018 | 0 | 4 |
| February | 854 | 0 | 3 |
| March | 727 | 0 | 27 |
| April | 437 | 2 | 112 |
| May | 200 | 22 | 297 |
| June | 45 | 92 | 496 |
| July | 6 | 181 | 640 |
| August | 15 | 137 | 587 |
| September | 114 | 45 | 384 |
| October | 404 | 1 | 126 |
| November | 680 | 0 | 32 |
| December | 924 | 0 | 6 |
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 3.2 km from Floyd. 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 USC00443071 (Floyd 2 Ne). Public domain.