Nutter Fort climate

Nutter Fort Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Clarksburg 1, 2.8 km from Nutter Fort, elevation 990 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Clarksburg 1. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 181 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 4, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 22, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 10, first November 1

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 21May 16May 11May 6May 4Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21
32°FMay 11May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 20Apr 17Apr 15Apr 10
28°FApr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28
24°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15
20°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1
16°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14

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 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24
32°FOct 9Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
24°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14
16°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Dec 29

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°F180173169164161157153147139
32°F200194190185181177172166158
28°F225217212208205201197191183
24°F248241235230226222218214207
20°F278268261256252246241236228
16°F305296289283277272266258250

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
5,291
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
892
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,707
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,451
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,348
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,388
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,568

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06305
February88807
March746037
April3919155
May15365384
June22181609
July1282746
August4241702
September72100480
October35913178
November671035
December921010

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 2.8 km from Nutter Fort. 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 USC00461677 (Clarksburg 1). Public domain.