Beulah Valley climate

Beulah Valley Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rye 1SW, 17.7 km from Beulah Valley, elevation 7141 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rye 1SW. 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 May 5 and the first fall freeze around October 10, a growing season of about 156 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 17, first October 2
Median at 32°F
last May 5, first October 10
Median at 28°F
last April 26, first October 19

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 31May 26May 23May 20May 17May 14May 12May 9May 3
32°FMay 20May 15May 12May 9May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 22
28°FMay 10May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9
24°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 25
20°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17Mar 8
16°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 29Mar 23Mar 17Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 22

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 20Sep 24Sep 27Oct 1Oct 2Oct 5Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14
32°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 23
28°FOct 4Oct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 4
24°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
20°FOct 20Oct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24
16°FOct 30Nov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 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°F155149145141138134130126118
32°F175169164161156153149144138
28°F197190184180176172167163155
24°F221214208202198194189183175
20°F249240233226221215209203195
16°F275266258252244238231223211

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
5,884
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
443
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,685
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,481
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,468
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,628
Growing degree days, base 60°F
951

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98101
February86104
March744024
April554166
May30913216
June71100479
July16165614
August32114547
September14149369
October4522122
November729025
December99502

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 17.7 km from Beulah 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 USC00057317 (Rye 1SW). Public domain.