Bisbee climate

Bisbee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bisbee 1WNW, 0.1 km from Bisbee, elevation 5560 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bisbee 1WNW. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 13, 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 4Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 3
32°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
28°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 27Feb 16
24°FMar 16Mar 7Mar 1Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 23Jan 12
20°FFeb 22Feb 13Feb 3Jan 29Jan 20Jan 12Jan 5Dec 29Dec 14
16°FFeb 13Feb 4Jan 27Jan 17Jan 10Jan 4Dec 31Dec 18Dec 4

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 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 14
32°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13
24°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Jan 1
20°FNov 24Dec 3Dec 10Dec 19Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 13Jan 28
16°FNov 27Dec 12Dec 23Dec 31Jan 3Jan 10Jan 18Jan 28Feb 9

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°F216208202198193189185180173
32°F248239232227222217211206199
28°F284275266260254249242234224
24°F329317307300294285276266255
20°F365363354344335328319310298
16°F365365365365365365365352332

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
82% of years
16°F or colder
32% 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
2,991
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,116
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,332
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,687
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,228
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,988
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,951

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January651012
February498036
March3860126
April20011268
May6092498
June2292741
July0319784
August0247711
September11132572
October13621355
November4080107
December639019

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 0.1 km from Bisbee. 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 USC00020775 (Bisbee 1WNW). Public domain.