Brenda climate

Brenda Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Quartzsite, 26.2 km from Brenda, elevation 875 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Quartzsite. 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 January 28 and the first fall freeze around December 6, a growing season of about 315 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 17, first November 27
Median at 32°F
last January 28, first December 6
Median at 28°F
last January 7, first December 21

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°FMar 7Mar 3Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 12Feb 8Feb 2Jan 25
32°FFeb 24Feb 14Feb 9Feb 3Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 8Dec 31
28°FFeb 5Jan 26Jan 17Jan 11Jan 7Jan 3Dec 30Dec 22Dec 13
24°FJan 22Jan 14Jan 9Jan 5Jan 2Dec 31Dec 28Dec 21Dec 14
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12
32°FNov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 6Dec 10Dec 14Dec 19Dec 26
28°FDec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Dec 30Jan 4Jan 13
24°FDec 11Dec 19Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 19
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F309301293287282276271264257
32°F343334328320315309301293283
28°F365365363357349343337331320
24°F365365365365365365365362349
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
99% of years
28°F or colder
73% of years
24°F or colder
22% of years
20°F or colder
2% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,256
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
4,453
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,323
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,512
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,760
Growing degree days, base 55°F
7,138
Growing degree days, base 60°F
5,705

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January3601134
February2129225
March8979456
April18219651
May1485949
June07521,201
July09461,411
August09241,389
September06861,135
October12310763
November15644344
December4081102

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 26.2 km from Brenda. 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 USC00026865 (Quartzsite). Public domain.