cold spell vs ground frost

cold spell

noun
  • A short period during which temperatures are much lower than usual. 

  • Coordinate term: dry spell 

  • A period of poor performance. 

ground frost

noun
  • The condition of air temperature dropping below the freezing point at or near ground level. 

  • Ice produced by the direct deposition of water vapor on grass, trees and other objects in freezing conditions. 

  • The frozen upper level of soil, caused by the air temperature dropping below the freezing point for a lengthy period of time; in temperate climates the soil thaws completely for the summer and in cold climates it may develop to permafrost. 

How often have the words cold spell and ground frost occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )