Mena climate

Mena Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mena, 4.8 km from Mena, elevation 1152 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mena. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 10

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 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Mar 31
32°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 15
28°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Feb 28
24°FMar 30Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 17
20°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 29
16°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 17Feb 12Feb 7Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 9

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

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°F207201195191187183178173166
32°F233225218212208203199193186
28°F259249243237232227221215207
24°F287276271265260254248241231
20°F320308299292285278272264254
16°F351338331324318310304294282

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
96% 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
3,644
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,534
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,390
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,909
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,580
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,406
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,392

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January820020
February632135
March4685121
April22625273
May62114519
June2295742
July0427891
August1404868
September24211638
October19248338
November4745107
December743030

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 4.8 km from Mena. 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 USC00034756 (Mena). Public domain.