Cutler Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Visalia, 21.7 km from Cutler, elevation 303 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Visalia. 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 January 23 and the first fall freeze around December 13, a growing season of about 328 days.

Median at 36°F: last February 27, first November 29
Median at 32°F: last January 23, first December 13
Median at 28°F: last January 2, first December 25

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.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Apr 2	Mar 20	Mar 10	Mar 3	Feb 27	Feb 19	Feb 11	Feb 3	Jan 26
32°F	Feb 27	Feb 10	Feb 2	Jan 29	Jan 23	Jan 17	Jan 10	Jan 3	Dec 29
28°F	Jan 24	Jan 17	Jan 11	Jan 6	Jan 2	Dec 31	Dec 29	Dec 24	Dec 16
24°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
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.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Nov 15	Nov 19	Nov 23	Nov 26	Nov 29	Dec 1	Dec 4	Dec 8	Dec 16
32°F	Nov 27	Dec 2	Dec 6	Dec 9	Dec 13	Dec 17	Dec 22	Dec 31	Jan 8
28°F	Dec 9	Dec 13	Dec 17	Dec 22	Dec 25	Dec 29	Jan 1	Jan 3	Jan 12
24°F	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
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.

Threshold	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	310	296	289	281	274	266	258	248	236
32°F	359	349	341	334	328	320	310	303	289
28°F	365	365	365	365	364	359	352	346	338
24°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	363
20°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365
16°F	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365	365

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: 93% of years
28°F or colder: 51% of years
24°F or colder: 10% of years
20°F or colder: 0% 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: 2,410
Cooling degree days, base 65°F: 1,743
Growing degree days, base 40°F: 8,469
Growing degree days, base 45°F: 6,721
Growing degree days, base 50°F: 5,138
Growing degree days, base 55°F: 3,784
Growing degree days, base 60°F: 2,662

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

Month	Heating DD	Cooling DD	Growing DD 50
January	563	0	26
February	379	0	79
March	277	3	203
April	158	28	322
May	44	137	558
June	4	308	755
July	0	473	938
August	0	436	901
September	4	280	726
October	76	77	467
November	336	1	141
December	569	0	24

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 21.7 km from Cutler. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00049367 (Visalia). Public domain.