Yokuts Valley climate

Yokuts Valley Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Grant Grove, 25.4 km from Yokuts Valley, elevation 6580 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Grant Grove. 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 June 1 and the first fall freeze around October 7, a growing season of about 132 days.

Median at 36°F
last June 9, first September 25
Median at 32°F
last June 1, first October 7
Median at 28°F
last May 16, first October 21

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°FJun 22Jun 18Jun 15Jun 11Jun 9Jun 6Jun 4Jun 1May 26
32°FJun 15Jun 9Jun 5Jun 3Jun 1May 28May 24May 18May 11
28°FJun 6May 31May 26May 21May 16May 11May 6May 2Apr 25
24°FMay 25May 14May 8May 2Apr 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 9
20°FMay 3Apr 26Apr 22Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1Mar 19
16°FApr 19Apr 12Apr 8Apr 2Mar 28Mar 20Mar 10Mar 3Feb 17

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°FSep 7Sep 13Sep 17Sep 22Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 6Oct 14
32°FSep 19Sep 25Sep 30Oct 3Oct 7Oct 11Oct 16Oct 21Oct 30
28°FOct 1Oct 7Oct 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 26Oct 31Nov 5Nov 11
24°FOct 14Oct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 29
20°FOct 28Nov 5Nov 12Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 15
16°FNov 14Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 24Jan 5

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°F130121116112108103979182
32°F160150143137132126121116108
28°F187178171164158152145138128
24°F220210202196190185178170160
20°F253242234227221215208200189
16°F298283273263255249241233220

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
6,348
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
188
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,864
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,726
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,819
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,102
Growing degree days, base 60°F
549

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January90101
February82601
March84503
April720017
May507195
June22218273
July5676486
August5567478
September17223317
October4452120
November684025
December91602

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 25.4 km from Yokuts Valley. 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 USC00043551 (Grant Grove). Public domain.