Buttonwillow climate

Buttonwillow Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Buttonwillow, 0.2 km from Buttonwillow, elevation 225 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Buttonwillow. 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 February 9 and the first fall freeze around November 26, a growing season of about 289 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 7, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last February 9, first November 26
Median at 28°F
last January 11, first December 8

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 6Mar 29Mar 20Mar 13Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 10
32°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 9Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 10
28°FFeb 8Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 11Jan 5Dec 31Dec 26Dec 16
24°FJan 19Jan 10Jan 4Dec 31Dec 30Dec 27Dec 22Dec 16Dec 10
20°FJan 8Jan 2Dec 31Dec 29Dec 25Dec 22Dec 15Dec 12Dec 9
16°F–––––––––

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 29Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26
32°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12
28°FNov 22Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 13Dec 17Dec 25Jan 2
24°FDec 1Dec 6Dec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 22Dec 27Dec 31Jan 5
20°FDec 7Dec 11Dec 14Dec 20Dec 24Dec 27Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5
16°F–––––––––

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°F278268260253248242235227217
32°F322310302295289283276269259
28°F362351344338333328322314303
24°F365365365365364359352343337
20°F365365365365365365365365359
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
92% of years
24°F or colder
47% of years
20°F or colder
13% of years
16°F or colder
1% 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
2,247
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,086
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,976
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,227
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,628
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,229
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,056

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January541038
February3520101
March2376242
April12146376
May29190626
June2372821
July05501,015
August0502967
September3325773
October7191486
November3313150
December561034

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 Buttonwillow. 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 USC00041244 (Buttonwillow). Public domain.