Queen Creek climate

Queen Creek Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chandler Heights, 6.6 km from Queen Creek, elevation 1425 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chandler Heights. 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 February 1 and the first fall freeze around December 11, a growing season of about 315 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 21, first November 28
Median at 32°F
last February 1, first December 11
Median at 28°F
last January 8, first December 26

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 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Feb 5Jan 29
32°FFeb 27Feb 18Feb 12Feb 5Feb 1Jan 24Jan 17Jan 8Jan 2
28°FFeb 11Feb 2Jan 24Jan 15Jan 8Jan 3Dec 31Dec 24Dec 15
24°FJan 29Jan 18Jan 9Jan 5Jan 2Jan 1Dec 30Dec 23Dec 13
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 12Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14
32°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1
28°FDec 4Dec 11Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 12Jan 29
24°FDec 13Dec 19Dec 27Dec 30Jan 1Jan 2Jan 6Jan 13Jan 24
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°F311300292286280274267258248
32°F347337329321315308300292281
28°F365365365362357350342334322
24°F365365365365365365365365363
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
70% of years
24°F or colder
12% of years
20°F or colder
0% 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
1,382
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,735
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,479
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,667
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,921
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,322
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,929

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January3670128
February2463185
March12744384
April35155570
May3396859
June06591,109
July08171,282
August07781,243
September05921,042
October18258705
November17133319
December416196

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 6.6 km from Queen Creek. 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 USC00021514 (Chandler Heights). Public domain.