Paulden climate

Paulden Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chino Valley, 14.4 km from Paulden, elevation 4750 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chino Valley. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 178 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 13, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 9, first November 5

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°FJun 2May 28May 22May 17May 13May 9May 5May 1Apr 26
32°FMay 18May 10May 4May 1Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 15Apr 10
28°FApr 29Apr 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31Mar 26Mar 18
24°FApr 11Apr 5Mar 29Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 23
20°FMar 17Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 4Jan 25
16°FMar 1Feb 21Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 22Jan 14Jan 6Dec 31

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 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 27
32°FOct 9Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 8
28°FOct 18Oct 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19
24°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28
20°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14
16°FNov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 17Dec 22Dec 29Jan 7

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°F172165160155150146141137129
32°F199192187183178173169163155
28°F231223217211206201196190181
24°F267259253248241234227219209
20°F308299290284278271265256246
16°F351341332325319311303295280

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
98% 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
4,058
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,179
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,517
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,068
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,830
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,777
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,903

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January80901
February63607
March516055
April3262159
May12554398
June11229668
July0400865
August1331795
September23152579
October22712263
November552040
December83201

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 14.4 km from Paulden. 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 USC00021654 (Chino Valley). Public domain.