Goochland County climate

Goochland County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Crozier, 7.1 km from Goochland County, elevation 350 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Crozier. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 5

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 10May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 24Apr 22Apr 19Apr 13
32°FMay 8May 1Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 1
28°FApr 24Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 18
24°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 3
20°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 17
16°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 28

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 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29
32°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 22Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 20
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 7
20°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25
16°FNov 26Dec 4Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15

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°F190184179174170166161156148
32°F212206201196191187181175165
28°F237229222218214209204197186
24°F267258252246241236231223215
20°F299289281274268262257251240
16°F330318311305299294288278266

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
4,377
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,160
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,451
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,077
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,864
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,807
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,909

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January902013
February742016
March616266
April31022208
May11976425
June13226663
July0352817
August2312775
September44146552
October27223243
November555166
December802020

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 7.1 km from Goochland County. 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 USC00442142 (Crozier). Public domain.