Bluefield climate

Bluefield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bluefield, 1.6 km from Bluefield, elevation 2870 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bluefield. 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 15, a growing season of about 168 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 12, first October 7
Median at 32°F
last April 30, first October 15
Median at 28°F
last April 16, first October 24

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

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°FSep 23Sep 29Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 9Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18
32°FOct 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 28
28°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
24°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 18
20°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 2
16°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 13Dec 23

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°F167160154150146142137132123
32°F189182176172168163159153144
28°F211203198194190186181175167
24°F236229222218214210206201195
20°F265256249243237233229223216
16°F295282275269262256251245236

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
5,437
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
529
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,235
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,984
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,890
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,945
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,149

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,05506
February862010
March732140
April4075146
May19030322
June3997509
July10174629
August13151603
September8865430
October3997156
November703029
December939011

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 1.6 km from Bluefield. 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 USC00460925 (Bluefield). Public domain.