Upshur County climate

Upshur County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rock Cave 2 Ne, 8 km from Upshur County, elevation 1749 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rock Cave 2 Ne. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 175 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 14, 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 24May 18May 14May 10May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 21
32°FMay 15May 8May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
28°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31
24°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 15
20°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Feb 28
16°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 17

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

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°F175168165160156152146141133
32°F197189184180175171166160153
28°F224215210205201196191185176
24°F250239235229225220215211203
20°F273264258251246241237231223
16°F299289282276271266259252243

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
5,400
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
605
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,394
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,128
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,009
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,042
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,231

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,069010
February886014
March742149
April40114166
May19044335
June42118527
July8195652
August15156606
September10365416
October38210166
November650150
December912018

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 8 km from Upshur County. 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 USC00467649 (Rock Cave 2 Ne). Public domain.