Springville Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Oneonta. 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 March 26 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 230 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 6, first October 30
- Median at 32°F
- last March 26, first November 10
- Median at 28°F
- last March 8, first November 24
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 24 | Apr 18 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 12 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 11 | Mar 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 16 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 8 | Jan 31 |
| 20°F | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 31 | Jan 22 | Jan 9 |
| 16°F | Feb 28 | Feb 15 | Feb 9 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 10 | Dec 30 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 14 |
| 32°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 30 |
| 28°F | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 15 |
| 24°F | Nov 15 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 21 | Dec 30 | Jan 7 |
| 20°F | Nov 27 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 16 | Jan 30 |
| 16°F | Dec 7 | Dec 20 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 231 | 222 | 216 | 212 | 207 | 203 | 199 | 192 | 185 |
| 32°F | 256 | 247 | 240 | 235 | 230 | 224 | 220 | 214 | 206 |
| 28°F | 291 | 278 | 268 | 263 | 258 | 253 | 247 | 241 | 231 |
| 24°F | 324 | 311 | 303 | 295 | 289 | 281 | 275 | 266 | 256 |
| 20°F | 354 | 339 | 332 | 324 | 317 | 310 | 303 | 294 | 283 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 363 | 352 | 343 | 334 | 329 | 320 | 307 |
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
- 94% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 73% 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
- 2,862
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,906
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,356
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,754
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,298
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,997
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,864
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 681 | 1 | 44 |
| February | 524 | 2 | 59 |
| March | 349 | 14 | 196 |
| April | 150 | 49 | 359 |
| May | 31 | 178 | 612 |
| June | 1 | 364 | 813 |
| July | 0 | 485 | 950 |
| August | 0 | 454 | 919 |
| September | 10 | 273 | 714 |
| October | 129 | 73 | 417 |
| November | 379 | 10 | 156 |
| December | 610 | 2 | 60 |
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 17.5 km from Springville. 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 USC00016121 (Oneonta). Public domain.