Sedona climate

Sedona Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sedona, 2.9 km from Sedona, elevation 4220 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sedona. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last April 1, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 27

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°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Mar 31
32°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21Mar 15Mar 6
28°FApr 6Mar 29Mar 20Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13Feb 1
24°FMar 13Feb 28Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 30Jan 21Jan 10Jan 2
20°FFeb 13Feb 3Jan 26Jan 14Jan 8Jan 3Dec 29Dec 21Dec 12
16°FJan 31Jan 19Jan 10Jan 6Jan 2Dec 29Dec 22Dec 14Dec 7

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

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°F227216211206201196190184176
32°F261249241234229224218211202
28°F299288279273265258249240229
24°F342331321313304297289279265
20°F365365360354346338330320310
16°F365365365365365365365359345

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
78% of years
16°F or colder
25% 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
2,687
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,984
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,470
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,793
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,300
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,009
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,906

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January584033
February455057
March3564161
April19424294
May46153572
June4383829
July05351,000
August0482947
September4307753
October9489463
November3407167
December611024

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 2.9 km from Sedona. 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 USC00027708 (Sedona). Public domain.