Mountain Pine climate

Mountain Pine Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Blakely Mtn Dam, 2 km from Mountain Pine, elevation 426 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Blakely Mtn Dam. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 16, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 16

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 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 14
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 27
24°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 7
20°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31Jan 26Jan 15
16°FFeb 28Feb 16Feb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 9Dec 31

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 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 21
28°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
24°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 24
20°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 12
16°FDec 6Dec 16Dec 24Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 19Feb 1

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°F213206201197193189185179172
32°F239231226221216211206201193
28°F269261253248243237231225216
24°F301292284277272266260254246
20°F341330320313307299292283272
16°F365365357348340333324316305

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
76% 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
3,477
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,545
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,482
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,969
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,621
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,432
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,405

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January784019
February615033
March4483118
April20623282
May54118529
June2297745
July0419884
August0412877
September18221653
October17747347
November4594104
December713031

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 km from Mountain Pine. 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 USC00030764 (Blakely Mtn Dam). Public domain.