Fruitvale climate

Fruitvale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Grand Junction 6ESE, 5.2 km from Fruitvale, elevation 4760 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Grand Junction 6ESE. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 179 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 3, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 23, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 8, first November 1

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 20May 13May 9May 5May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21
32°FMay 9May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11Apr 6
28°FApr 25Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 26Mar 18
24°FApr 10Apr 5Mar 31Mar 25Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 1
20°FMar 24Mar 15Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10
16°FMar 4Feb 27Feb 22Feb 18Feb 14Feb 9Feb 5Jan 31Jan 21

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 28Oct 2Oct 5Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 25
32°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 5
28°FOct 14Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
24°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25
20°FNov 3Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
16°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 14Dec 20

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°F177170166162158154150146139
32°F202194187183179174170165157
28°F232222216211207202195190181
24°F262253246241236231225218209
20°F289280274269264258253247238
16°F320309302297290285279270262

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
5,259
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,284
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,095
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,855
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,760
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,803
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,981

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,11100
February81602
March596045
April3716151
May14468399
June18271703
July1440905
August1355818
September53137536
October3418184
November717016
December1,09100

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 5.2 km from Fruitvale. 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 USC00053489 (Grand Junction 6ESE). Public domain.