Yell County climate

Yell County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Nimrod Dam, 23.5 km from Yell County, elevation 480 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Nimrod 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 March 22 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 22, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 8, first November 24

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 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Mar 31Mar 29Mar 23Mar 16
32°FApr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 2
28°FMar 29Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 15
24°FMar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 12Feb 4Jan 27
20°FMar 4Feb 26Feb 18Feb 12Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 8
16°FFeb 24Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 22Jan 16Jan 6Dec 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 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 15
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 29
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
24°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1
20°FDec 1Dec 11Dec 18Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 22
16°FDec 11Dec 23Dec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 17Jan 26Feb 6

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°F232223218215211207203199190
32°F257249242237233228223218211
28°F286275270264260254249241233
24°F321311304296289283276269258
20°F353342334328321315306299288
16°F365365363354346339332324309

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
94% of years
16°F or colder
73% 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
3,022
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,185
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,509
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,934
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,517
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,253
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,140

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January729131
February545257
March37613175
April14561376
May27205643
June1422871
July05581,023
August0529993
September10303742
October13082424
November4029139
December658143

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 23.5 km from Yell County. 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 USC00035200 (Nimrod Dam). Public domain.