Gila Bend climate

Gila Bend Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gila Bend 2SE, 3.5 km from Gila Bend, elevation 794 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gila Bend 2SE. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around December 11, a growing season of about 323 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 14, first November 30
Median at 32°F
last January 23, first December 11
Median at 28°F
last January 5, first December 25

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 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 8Feb 2Jan 27Jan 18
32°FFeb 19Feb 8Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 17Jan 11Jan 3Dec 25
28°FFeb 1Jan 24Jan 16Jan 11Jan 5Dec 31Dec 27Dec 21Dec 13
24°FJan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 9Jan 6Jan 3Dec 31Dec 24Dec 12
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 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15
32°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 18Dec 22Dec 30
28°FDec 5Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Dec 29Jan 1Jan 9Jan 22
24°FDec 12Dec 19Dec 29Jan 1Jan 4Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 23
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°F317306299293288283277271263
32°F352343337329323316309302293
28°F365365365361355349344337328
24°F365365365365365365365365353
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
97% of years
28°F or colder
69% of years
24°F or colder
20% of years
20°F or colder
3% 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
958
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
4,529
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,696
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,876
Growing degree days, base 50°F
9,081
Growing degree days, base 55°F
7,378
Growing degree days, base 60°F
5,848

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January2763206
February16512270
March6986482
April14227663
May1474938
June07351,185
July09281,393
August09181,383
September07101,159
October8364822
November10872416
December3181165

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 3.5 km from Gila Bend. 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 USC00023393 (Gila Bend 2SE). Public domain.