Fruita climate

Fruita Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fruita, 1.6 km from Fruita, elevation 4498 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fruita. 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 April 27 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 164 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 8, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 18, first October 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°FMay 21May 16May 13May 10May 8May 6May 3May 1Apr 28
32°FMay 7May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 27Apr 25Apr 23Apr 21Apr 17
28°FApr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5
24°FApr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 8Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 24Mar 16
20°FApr 11Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26
16°FMar 21Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 6

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 21Sep 24Sep 27Sep 30Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 14
32°FSep 28Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 25
28°FOct 6Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5
24°FOct 18Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15
20°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 20Nov 26
16°FNov 4Nov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6

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°F161155151148144141137133126
32°F182175172168164161157153147
28°F205197192189185181177173166
24°F233225219213208203198193185
20°F263256249243237231225217208
16°F292283277272267263257249240

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
5,640
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,022
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,599
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,401
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,351
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,442
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,669

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,17900
February86000
March648021
April4192108
May14745369
June22196624
July1379843
August2309772
September6990473
October3932135
November76406
December1,13700

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 1.6 km from Fruita. 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 USC00053146 (Fruita). Public domain.