Mountain Mesa climate

Mountain Mesa Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for S Lake Fs, 4.2 km from Mountain Mesa, elevation 2654 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for S Lake Fs. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 212 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 17

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 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 5
32°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 30Mar 22Mar 16Mar 8
28°FApr 7Mar 30Mar 18Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 8
24°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 16Feb 9Feb 4Jan 29Jan 20Jan 12Jan 2
20°FFeb 6Jan 27Jan 17Jan 11Jan 6Jan 1Dec 29Dec 22Dec 11
16°FJan 12Jan 7Jan 3Jan 1Dec 28Dec 26Dec 21Dec 18Dec 14

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 9Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16
28°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1
24°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15Dec 24
20°FNov 27Dec 2Dec 8Dec 12Dec 19Dec 24Dec 31Jan 5Jan 18
16°FDec 10Dec 14Dec 19Dec 22Dec 27Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11

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°F203198193189184181177173168
32°F241233224217212207203197189
28°F286275267260254247240232218
24°F336325318310303295287278264
20°F365365363355347341334327313
16°F365365365365365365365365359

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
70% of years
16°F or colder
16% 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
3,079
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,723
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,819
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,170
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,736
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,531
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,537

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January63209
February487039
March4200102
April2585212
May55123533
June8324766
July0514979
August0465930
September14255691
October14437360
November4091104
December653010

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 4.2 km from Mountain Mesa. 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 USC00048407 (S Lake Fs). Public domain.