Bagdad climate

Bagdad Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bagdad, 3.3 km from Bagdad, elevation 3935 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bagdad. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 13, first November 22

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 15May 9May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 12Apr 5
32°FMay 3Apr 24Apr 18Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 23Mar 14
28°FApr 8Apr 1Mar 26Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 19
24°FMar 15Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 4Jan 27Jan 12
20°FFeb 20Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 22Jan 14Jan 6Dec 31Dec 17
16°FFeb 16Feb 11Feb 3Jan 27Jan 18Jan 9Jan 3Dec 31Dec 19

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°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14
32°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 29
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 25Dec 31Jan 5Jan 16Feb 1
16°FDec 12Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 17Jan 27Feb 5Feb 12

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°F213205199194189183178172164
32°F244234227223217212207198188
28°F282272265258251244238229220
24°F330318308300292285278270258
20°F365362352344338331323313303
16°F365365365365365365365351334

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
83% of years
16°F or colder
29% 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
3,276
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,616
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,582
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,985
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,596
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,419
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,438

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January659014
February550029
March451093
April26611217
May9497471
June7295738
July0471936
August0436901
September11253692
October14152383
November4192111
December679013

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 3.3 km from Bagdad. 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 USC00020586 (Bagdad). Public domain.