Madera Acres climate

Madera Acres Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Madera, 7.7 km from Madera Acres, elevation 270 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Madera. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 281 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 11
Median at 32°F
last February 18, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last January 21, first December 10

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 18Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31Mar 25Mar 17Mar 10Mar 5Feb 24
32°FMar 18Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 12Feb 4Jan 29Jan 16
28°FFeb 19Feb 10Feb 2Jan 29Jan 21Jan 13Jan 3Dec 29Dec 20
24°FJan 31Jan 22Jan 11Jan 3Dec 31Dec 29Dec 22Dec 17Dec 9
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°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27
32°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 18
28°FNov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 23Jan 1Jan 18
24°FDec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 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°F264254246239233227221212201
32°F319305297288281274267258245
28°F365353343337331325317307295
24°F365365365365365361352343335
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
100% of years
28°F or colder
89% of years
24°F or colder
45% of years
20°F or colder
8% 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
2,607
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,660
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,199
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,480
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,942
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,633
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,542

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January587020
February409062
March3002183
April17122304
May49123539
June5298743
July0465930
August0425890
September6267711
October9957424
November3711118
December611019

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 7.7 km from Madera Acres. 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 USC00045233 (Madera). Public domain.