Lake City climate

Lake City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake City, 0.6 km from Lake City, elevation 8667 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake City. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around September 17, a growing season of about 101 days.

Median at 36°F
last June 21, first September 8
Median at 32°F
last June 8, first September 17
Median at 28°F
last May 25, first September 25

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°FJul 5Jul 1Jun 27Jun 24Jun 21Jun 18Jun 15Jun 12Jun 7
32°FJun 24Jun 18Jun 14Jun 11Jun 8Jun 5Jun 2May 31May 26
28°FJun 11Jun 4Jun 1May 29May 25May 22May 18May 14May 8
24°FMay 27May 21May 16May 12May 8May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 26
20°FMay 11May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 13
16°FMay 3Apr 27Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2

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°FAug 28Sep 1Sep 4Sep 6Sep 8Sep 10Sep 13Sep 15Sep 18
32°FSep 6Sep 10Sep 13Sep 15Sep 17Sep 19Sep 22Sep 24Sep 27
28°FSep 13Sep 18Sep 21Sep 23Sep 25Sep 27Sep 30Oct 3Oct 7
24°FSep 21Sep 25Sep 29Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18
20°FSep 28Oct 3Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 28
16°FOct 8Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7

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°F948884817774696456
32°F11711110810510198938982
28°F145137131127124120115110104
24°F168161156151148144139134127
20°F189183177173169165161155147
16°F208202197193189185180174168

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
8,982
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
11
Growing degree days, base 40°F
2,725
Growing degree days, base 45°F
1,821
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,080
Growing degree days, base 55°F
503
Growing degree days, base 60°F
141

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,47400
February1,18200
March1,03900
April77903
May504058
June2381221
July1108363
August1722295
September3500127
October659014
November1,03500
December1,44100

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 0.6 km from Lake City. 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 USC00054734 (Lake City). Public domain.