Young climate

Young Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pleasant Valley, 0.2 km from Young, elevation 5183 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pleasant 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 May 6 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 165 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 23, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last May 6, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 12, first November 1

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 9Jun 4May 31May 28May 23May 19May 16May 12May 6
32°FMay 28May 20May 15May 11May 6May 3Apr 29Apr 25Apr 20
28°FMay 5Apr 29Apr 23Apr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27
24°FApr 10Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 27
20°FMar 27Mar 15Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4
16°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 10

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

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°F158152146141136132127122117
32°F187180174169165161155148139
28°F221213207202196192186179169
24°F261252245239234227222216205
20°F296285277271265259254246235
16°F336324315307302295287278267

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
99% 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
4,399
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
742
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,735
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,306
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,124
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,153
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,362

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January80801
February66403
March583023
April401095
May20313281
June35119534
July0273738
August1242707
September3890503
October2783210
November573029
December81501

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 0.2 km from Young. 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 USC00026653 (Pleasant Valley). Public domain.