Sutter County climate

Sutter County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Marysville Yuba CO AP, 13.3 km from Sutter County, elevation 62 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Marysville Yuba CO AP. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 30, a growing season of about 289 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 14
Median at 32°F
last February 11, first November 30
Median at 28°F
last January 12, first December 13

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 16Apr 9Apr 2Mar 28Mar 21Mar 15Mar 9Mar 2Feb 20
32°FMar 12Mar 5Feb 26Feb 19Feb 11Feb 3Jan 29Jan 19Jan 6
28°FFeb 10Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 12Jan 6Dec 31Dec 24Dec 14
24°FJan 26Jan 17Jan 11Jan 5Jan 2Dec 30Dec 25Dec 20Dec 13
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 30Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1
32°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 21
28°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 25Jan 2Jan 11
24°FDec 6Dec 12Dec 16Dec 20Dec 27Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 18
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°F272260250242236229222215205
32°F329316307299289279272263248
28°F365363352344337332324316305
24°F365365365365365365360351341
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
81% of years
24°F or colder
33% of years
20°F or colder
4% 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
2,551
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,499
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,084
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,336
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,773
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,459
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,378

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January563020
February399068
March3171165
April18419287
May49116532
June7277720
July0417882
August0372837
September6235680
October8662441
November3681119
December572023

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 13.3 km from Sutter County. 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 USW00093205 (Marysville Yuba CO AP). Public domain.