Stuart climate

Stuart Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Stuart, 1.2 km from Stuart, elevation 1375 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Stuart. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 190 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 19, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 4

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

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°F189182178174171166162157150
32°F210203198194190186182176169
28°F236229223219215210205199193
24°F266258252246241236230224215
20°F301292284276270264258251242
16°F336324315308303296289280268

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
99% 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
4,216
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
997
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,365
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,961
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,724
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,656
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,745

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January87909
February713012
March584167
April29816208
May10771432
June14198635
July0304769
August2264727
September41125534
October25418250
November543164
December783017

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 1.2 km from Stuart. 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 USC00448170 (Stuart). Public domain.