Palisade climate

Palisade Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Palisade, 0.4 km from Palisade, elevation 4751 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Palisade. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 190 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 5

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 15May 9May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16
32°FMay 3Apr 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 4Mar 27
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 26Mar 20Mar 14Mar 7
24°FApr 7Mar 29Mar 20Mar 14Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22
20°FMar 12Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 23Feb 20Feb 16Feb 11Feb 3
16°FFeb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 9Feb 4Feb 1Jan 25Jan 14

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°FOct 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28
32°FOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 10
28°FOct 20Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20
24°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14
16°FNov 20Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 12Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25

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°F187180175170166162158153146
32°F215206200195190187181176167
28°F245237230224218214209201193
24°F275268261255249244237229218
20°F302292287282277272266260250
16°F328319313307302297291285275

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
5,087
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,235
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,111
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,846
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,732
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,762
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,934

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,07600
February79102
March575049
April3644151
May13764401
June16253687
July0425890
August1349814
September49132536
October3326186
November693018
December1,05400

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 0.4 km from Palisade. 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 USC00056266 (Palisade). Public domain.