Dove Creek climate

Dove Creek Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Northdale, 10.7 km from Dove Creek, elevation 6681 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Northdale. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around September 25, a growing season of about 113 days.

Median at 36°F
last June 16, first September 16
Median at 32°F
last June 3, first September 25
Median at 28°F
last May 21, first October 4

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 30Jun 25Jun 22Jun 19Jun 16Jun 13Jun 10Jun 7Jun 2
32°FJun 19Jun 13Jun 9Jun 6Jun 3May 31May 28May 24May 19
28°FJun 6Jun 1May 27May 24May 21May 17May 13May 9May 3
24°FMay 21May 14May 8May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 15
20°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31
16°FApr 19Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20Mar 14Mar 8

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 3Sep 7Sep 10Sep 13Sep 16Sep 18Sep 20Sep 23Sep 28
32°FSep 12Sep 16Sep 19Sep 22Sep 25Sep 27Sep 30Oct 2Oct 6
28°FSep 22Sep 26Sep 28Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 8Oct 12Oct 17
24°FOct 1Oct 4Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 31
20°FOct 10Oct 15Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 10
16°FOct 20Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19

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°F10910398949086827769
32°F1301241201171131081049891
28°F158150144140135131126122115
24°F186179172168164159153147139
20°F215208202196191186182176167
16°F246236230223218213208202193

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
7,326
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
258
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,770
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,761
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,908
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,208
Growing degree days, base 60°F
656

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,27100
February1,03700
March86501
April636018
May3952127
June12433362
July14135586
August2880518
September2098260
October580037
November91701
December1,25100

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 10.7 km from Dove 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 USC00055970 (Northdale). Public domain.