Woodlake climate

Woodlake Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lemon Cove, 7.4 km from Woodlake, elevation 513 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lemon Cove. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around December 8, a growing season of about 307 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 23
Median at 32°F
last February 5, first December 8
Median at 28°F
last January 5, first December 22

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 17Apr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 25Mar 15Mar 5Feb 26Feb 13
32°FMar 20Mar 3Feb 23Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 23Jan 14Jan 1
28°FFeb 13Jan 26Jan 18Jan 12Jan 5Jan 1Dec 30Dec 25Dec 17
24°FJan 14Jan 4Jan 1Dec 31Dec 29Dec 27Dec 23Dec 20Dec 15
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°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8
32°FNov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 29Jan 8
28°FDec 5Dec 10Dec 14Dec 18Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 8Jan 20
24°FDec 11Dec 14Dec 18Dec 21Dec 24Dec 28Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7
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°F287274263255247238232224214
32°F347334325315307299289279262
28°F365365365365358351344338327
24°F365365365365365365365365364
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
98% of years
28°F or colder
57% of years
24°F or colder
10% of years
20°F or colder
0% 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
2,087
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,103
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,146
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,365
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,719
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,287
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,091

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January499048
February3301116
March22810255
April13049371
May37180608
June4359806
July05421,007
August0502967
September3342789
October53113526
November2845189
December519039

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 7.4 km from Woodlake. 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 USC00044890 (Lemon Cove). Public domain.