Willow Creek climate

Willow Creek Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Orleans, 41.9 km from Willow Creek, elevation 403 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Orleans. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 26, a growing season of about 262 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 26
Median at 28°F
last January 28, first December 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 2Apr 25Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 22
32°FApr 9Mar 31Mar 26Mar 19Mar 12Mar 3Feb 25Feb 14Jan 26
28°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 16Feb 8Jan 28Jan 15Jan 6Dec 30Dec 13
24°FJan 29Jan 20Jan 12Jan 5Dec 31Dec 27Dec 17Dec 9Nov 29
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 17Oct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 20Nov 27
32°FOct 31Nov 7Nov 13Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 21
28°FNov 16Nov 28Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Jan 1Jan 10Jan 31
24°FNov 21Dec 1Dec 8Dec 14Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 10Jan 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°F240229222216208203197190180
32°F313293282272262254244234220
28°F365356345334326316308297282
24°F365365365365365365358347334
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
86% of years
24°F or colder
35% of years
20°F or colder
7% 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
3,457
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
860
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,583
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,959
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,580
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,460
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,559

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January66804
February504022
March422091
April2804190
May12743382
June39117528
July2293756
August2261724
September21131559
October20912272
November488047
December69706

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 41.9 km from Willow Creek. 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 USC00046508 (Orleans). Public domain.