Dos Palos climate

Dos Palos Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Los Banos, 22.7 km from Dos Palos, elevation 120 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Los Banos. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around December 10, a growing season of about 322 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 24, first November 27
Median at 32°F
last January 26, first December 10
Median at 28°F
last January 6, first December 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 3Mar 20Mar 6Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4Jan 26
32°FFeb 20Feb 10Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 5Dec 29
28°FFeb 4Jan 26Jan 17Jan 11Jan 6Jan 3Dec 31Dec 24Dec 17
24°FJan 15Jan 10Jan 7Jan 4Jan 1Dec 30Dec 25Dec 22Dec 16
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 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11
32°FNov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Jan 4
28°FDec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 21Dec 24Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 19
24°FDec 12Dec 18Dec 22Dec 25Dec 29Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13
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°F305292286278273267258248234
32°F351342334328322315308301291
28°F365365365361356350344338326
24°F365365365365365365365365356
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
96% of years
28°F or colder
64% of years
24°F or colder
17% of years
20°F or colder
1% 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
2,276
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,719
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,578
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,815
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,205
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,818
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,663

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January544028
February361091
March2554222
April14435342
May41141564
June4294740
July0440905
August0414879
September4299745
October6191495
November3063167
December555027

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 22.7 km from Dos Palos. 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 USC00045118 (Los Banos). Public domain.