Pantops climate

Pantops Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Monticello, 2.6 km from Pantops, elevation 758 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Monticello. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 213 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 16, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 24, first November 14

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 4Apr 28Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3
32°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 21
28°FApr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 6
24°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24
20°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 16Feb 9
16°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 22

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 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1
24°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 20
20°FNov 20Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Dec 30Jan 6
16°FDec 7Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 24

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°F210205200196192188184179171
32°F233226221217213210205200194
28°F261252246241236232228223216
24°F287278272267262257252245238
20°F316306300294289284278272261
16°F340330325319313307302295286

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
4,440
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,092
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,350
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,981
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,772
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,716
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,824

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January93008
February77009
March617261
April30921207
May11376429
June14232667
July0344809
August2292755
September52111509
October26714236
November548165
December817015

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 2.6 km from Pantops. 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 USC00445700 (Monticello). Public domain.