Yucca Valley climate

Yucca Valley Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Yucca Valley, 4.4 km from Yucca Valley, elevation 3249 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Yucca Valley. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 28, a growing season of about 255 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 15
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 28
Median at 28°F
last February 7, first December 8

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 24Apr 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 11
32°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 2Feb 22Feb 8
28°FMar 19Mar 8Feb 28Feb 17Feb 7Jan 29Jan 15Jan 5Dec 26
24°FFeb 13Jan 30Jan 18Jan 8Jan 2Dec 30Dec 25Dec 19Dec 11
20°FFeb 9Jan 30Jan 15Jan 7Jan 5Jan 1Dec 28Dec 21Dec 14
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 25Nov 1Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 30
32°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12
28°FNov 22Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 8Dec 12Dec 16Dec 20Dec 25
24°FDec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 21Dec 25Dec 28Jan 2Jan 22
20°FDec 13Dec 19Dec 28Dec 31Jan 3Jan 6Jan 14Jan 25Feb 8
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°F250243236230226220214206195
32°F296278270262255251246240230
28°F344335325314301292284274261
24°F365365363357350345339328315
20°F365365365365365365365365359
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
99% of years
24°F or colder
73% of years
20°F or colder
16% of years
16°F or colder
1% 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
2,594
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,874
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,445
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,750
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,224
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,898
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,784

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January533045
February430082
March3572159
April17725306
May66130529
June6310754
July0498962
August0518982
September9305747
October8882462
November3475160
December583036

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 4.4 km from Yucca Valley. 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 USC00049888 (Yucca Valley). Public domain.