Meadview Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Meadview 1W. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 28, a growing season of about 265 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 24, first November 17
- Median at 32°F
- last March 5, first November 28
- Median at 28°F
- last February 16, first December 9
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 15 | Apr 8 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 9 | Mar 3 |
| 32°F | Mar 28 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F | Mar 7 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 13 |
| 24°F | Feb 20 | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Feb 1 | Jan 26 | Jan 18 | Jan 10 | Jan 1 | Dec 22 |
| 20°F | Feb 5 | Jan 30 | Jan 23 | Jan 16 | Jan 10 | Jan 6 | Jan 2 | Dec 28 | Dec 18 |
| 16°F | Jan 28 | Jan 18 | Jan 14 | Jan 10 | Jan 6 | Jan 4 | Dec 31 | Dec 26 | Dec 20 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 30 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 |
| 32°F | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 |
| 28°F | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 9 | Dec 12 | Dec 15 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 |
| 24°F | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 22 | Dec 26 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 19 |
| 20°F | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 17 | Jan 28 |
| 16°F | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 26 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 262 | 253 | 247 | 241 | 236 | 231 | 225 | 219 | 211 |
| 32°F | 291 | 283 | 276 | 270 | 265 | 260 | 255 | 249 | 240 |
| 28°F | 327 | 314 | 306 | 301 | 295 | 290 | 285 | 277 | 268 |
| 24°F | 362 | 354 | 345 | 338 | 332 | 326 | 319 | 310 | 300 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 363 | 356 | 347 | 339 | 331 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 |
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
- 91% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 50% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 14% 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
- 2,565
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 3,002
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,628
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,954
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,438
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,124
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,989
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 600 | 0 | 28 |
| February | 473 | 0 | 45 |
| March | 292 | 13 | 216 |
| April | 128 | 69 | 394 |
| May | 28 | 275 | 712 |
| June | 1 | 569 | 1,018 |
| July | 0 | 756 | 1,221 |
| August | 0 | 711 | 1,176 |
| September | 3 | 467 | 913 |
| October | 75 | 138 | 528 |
| November | 329 | 5 | 165 |
| December | 635 | 0 | 23 |
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 Meadview. 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 USC00025426 (Meadview 1W). Public domain.