Leola climate

Leola Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Leola, 0.6 km from Leola, elevation 255 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Leola. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 215 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 13, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 20, first November 11

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°FApr 30Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 21Mar 13
28°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 5Feb 28
24°FMar 25Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 10
20°FMar 13Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10Feb 3Jan 29Jan 20
16°FMar 2Feb 19Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 12Jan 2

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

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°F217209202197193187183177169
32°F239230225220215211205200192
28°F264256249244238232227221213
24°F297286276270264258252246236
20°F333321312305298290283274263
16°F365352344336330323315305294

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
87% 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
3,082
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,997
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,267
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,708
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,300
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,050
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,948

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January729135
February555256
March38413172
April15259365
May32190623
June1389838
July0518983
August0481945
September12267705
October14568397
November4218131
December651249

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 0.6 km from Leola. 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 USC00034134 (Leola). Public domain.