Lebec climate

Lebec Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sandberg, 16.9 km from Lebec, elevation 4510 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sandberg. 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 April 15 and the first fall freeze around November 26, a growing season of about 224 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first November 26
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first December 12

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°FJun 1May 24May 16May 10May 5Apr 30Apr 26Apr 21Apr 14
32°FMay 9May 1Apr 26Apr 20Apr 15Apr 9Apr 5Mar 25Mar 9
28°FApr 17Apr 9Mar 31Mar 23Mar 11Mar 1Feb 21Feb 6Jan 9
24°FMar 22Mar 3Feb 23Feb 15Feb 3Jan 25Jan 10Jan 2Dec 20
20°FFeb 15Feb 6Jan 25Jan 14Jan 9Jan 3Dec 31Dec 25Dec 16
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 14Oct 23Oct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 24Dec 1
32°FNov 1Nov 8Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16
28°FNov 17Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Jan 1Jan 22
24°FNov 29Dec 9Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 10Jan 24Feb 6Feb 23
20°FDec 15Dec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 20Jan 28Feb 12
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°F217207198192184178171163152
32°F261247238230224217209200187
28°F337316298286275265256244230
24°F365365365356344332318303283
20°F365365365365365365365365347
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
99% of years
24°F or colder
71% of years
20°F or colder
22% of years
16°F or colder
3% 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
3,573
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,298
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,995
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,447
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,098
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,969
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,046

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January606041
February542052
March500299
April3899152
May21955324
June66177563
July4353814
August3369831
September36245659
October17377385
November40211144
December632035

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 16.9 km from Lebec. 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 USW00023187 (Sandberg). Public domain.