Beaver Dam climate

Beaver Dam Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Beaver Dam, 1.8 km from Beaver Dam, elevation 1931 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Beaver Dam. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 19, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 20, first December 1

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°FApr 25Apr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 23Mar 14Mar 6
32°FApr 10Apr 2Mar 22Mar 13Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16
28°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 27Feb 23Feb 20Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Feb 1
24°FFeb 25Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Jan 3
20°FFeb 8Jan 31Jan 24Jan 16Jan 10Jan 4Dec 31Dec 24Dec 15
16°FJan 27Jan 18Jan 12Jan 8Jan 2Dec 31Dec 26Dec 21Dec 14

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 21Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24
32°FNov 1Nov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
28°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 16
24°FNov 24Nov 29Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1
20°FDec 1Dec 10Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Dec 30Jan 2Jan 11Jan 25
16°FDec 11Dec 17Dec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 2Jan 7Jan 15Jan 25

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°F248239231223217212206199189
32°F278270263257251245239230218
28°F308299292287282276270263254
24°F344335328320313307300292281
20°F365365363355348341334327316
16°F365365365365365365365365349

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
73% of years
16°F or colder
21% 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
2,182
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,349
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,326
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,604
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,022
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,625
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,413

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January547040
February392088
March21624285
April9397456
May16332781
June15861,035
July08181,283
August07801,245
September1511960
October44187608
November28515213
December587028

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 1.8 km from Beaver Dam. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00020672 (Beaver Dam). Public domain.