Weather Tidbits: Frost Climatology on Delmarva

We’ll be discussing the approximate frost climatology on Delmarva in this edition of Weather Tidbits. Frost can form when above ground temperatures drop into the 30s on a clear, calm night. A general above ground level temperature threshold for surface frost formation is 36 degrees, though it should be clear this is not exact. We can estimate when a median first freeze occurs across Delmarva. Based on all reports of the first 36 degree reading of the season through Delmarva’s Climotaglogy, the median first frost for most is late October, and closer to early November by the water sources. The median is essentially the middle ground of all the reports. Salisbury’s estimated median first frost lands on October 21. The estimated first frost was September 21, 1956. The estimated last frost of the season was November 7, 1984.