NOAA NOW Data Explored: First & Last Dates

Frost-5, originally uploaded by mike costolo.

An acronym within an acronym (NOAA Online Weather), the National Weather Services' NOW Data offers incredibly useful information. For example, it logs "first/last" dates, such as the first frost, the first 28 degree day, the first time the temperature didn't get above 32, the first 90 degree day, and so on, as well as the last date counterparts. Even cooler is that it notes how many days lapsed between the two dates.

This information can be used to figure out the length of a growing season. For instance, in 2006 the last 32 degree night on the Grange was on April 30 while the first was on October 14, a span of 166 days.