Pineville climate

Pineville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pineville, 1 km from Pineville, elevation 1320 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pineville. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last April 2, 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 15May 9May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15
32°FMay 3Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Mar 31
28°FApr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19
24°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 3
20°FMar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 14
16°FMar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20Feb 13Feb 7Jan 31

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 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31
32°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7
28°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 27Dec 2
20°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21
16°FNov 23Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Dec 30Jan 5

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°F190184181177173169165160154
32°F212206201197193189185180172
28°F238230225221217213209204198
24°F265255249244240236231226219
20°F295286279272267261256250242
16°F325314306300295289282275267

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
4,857
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
892
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,925
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,616
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,463
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,460
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,601

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January99505
February80808
March670046
April3389182
May13262400
June16178612
July1278742
August2251714
September53104502
October31510204
November636039
December89309

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 km from Pineville. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00467029 (Pineville). Public domain.