Coalinga climate

Coalinga Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Coalinga, 0.5 km from Coalinga, elevation 670 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Coalinga. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 30, a growing season of about 292 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 11, first November 17
Median at 32°F
last February 14, first November 30
Median at 28°F
last January 16, first December 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 9Apr 1Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 15
32°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 23Jan 10
28°FFeb 19Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 16Jan 10Jan 3Dec 29Dec 20
24°FFeb 4Jan 27Jan 16Jan 9Jan 3Dec 31Dec 27Dec 21Dec 12
20°F–––––––––
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°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1
32°FNov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 21
28°FNov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 16Dec 22Dec 29Jan 4Jan 18
24°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 3Jan 8Jan 21
20°F–––––––––
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°F279267261255249243236229219
32°F327317308300292285279271261
28°F365358350342336330322313300
24°F365365365365365365357347335
20°F365365365365365365365365365
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
99% of years
28°F or colder
85% of years
24°F or colder
36% of years
20°F or colder
4% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
2,035
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,404
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,501
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,717
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,062
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,622
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,414

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January498048
February3410108
March22510255
April11356394
May25214654
June2412860
July06141,079
August05751,040
September3389837
October47129547
November2785193
December504047

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 0.5 km from Coalinga. 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 USC00041864 (Coalinga). Public domain.