Mojave climate

Mojave Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mojave, 1.2 km from Mojave, elevation 2735 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mojave. 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 March 15 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 241 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 11, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first November 30

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°FMay 6Apr 30Apr 24Apr 18Apr 11Apr 4Mar 30Mar 22Mar 12
32°FApr 17Apr 6Mar 29Mar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21
28°FMar 22Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 18Feb 13Feb 3Jan 25
24°FFeb 26Feb 17Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 16Jan 8Dec 30
20°FFeb 12Feb 3Jan 25Jan 16Jan 11Jan 4Dec 31Dec 26Dec 16
16°FFeb 5Jan 22Jan 13Jan 8Jan 4Jan 1Dec 29Dec 23Dec 13

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 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
32°FOct 31Nov 6Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1
28°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 16
24°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 6Dec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 22Dec 29Jan 8
20°FDec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 30
16°FDec 11Dec 16Dec 27Dec 30Jan 2Jan 5Jan 10Jan 14Feb 2

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°F237227219214208202194186177
32°F270261254247241234227220211
28°F312301293285279273267260248
24°F353343335329321314307297285
20°F365365365363356349340333323
16°F365365365365365365365365355

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
100% of years
24°F or colder
96% of years
20°F or colder
63% of years
16°F or colder
20% 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
2,902
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,018
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,291
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,633
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,174
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,933
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,891

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January609019
February486041
March3623150
April21822266
May79141529
June9375816
July05631,028
August0533998
September8309751
October10672433
November3791128
December646014

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

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00045756 (Mojave). Public domain.