Citra climate

Citra Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Orange Springs 2SSW, 15.7 km from Citra, elevation 50 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Orange Springs 2SSW. 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 March 1 and the first fall freeze around December 7, a growing season of about 284 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 15, first November 25
Median at 32°F
last March 1, first December 7
Median at 28°F
last February 9, first December 30

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°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 20
32°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9Jan 29
28°FMar 12Mar 2Feb 25Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 9
24°FFeb 25Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 19Jan 11Jan 4Dec 26
20°FFeb 7Jan 29Jan 22Jan 17Jan 10Jan 6Dec 31Dec 28Dec 22
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 19
32°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 22Dec 31Jan 9
28°FNov 30Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 19Feb 1
24°FDec 8Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 19Jan 27Feb 6
20°FDec 14Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 17Jan 24Feb 4
16°F–––––––––

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°F286274266260254248241234224
32°F321308300293284276268260250
28°F358341332325316310303293281
24°F365365365359348341334326312
20°F365365365365365365365358342
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
92% of years
24°F or colder
63% of years
20°F or colder
24% of years
16°F or colder
2% 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
1,167
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,661
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,629
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,834
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,096
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,466
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,979

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January34720199
February22921232
March13160401
April40137548
May3309770
June0416866
July0487952
August0491956
September0412862
October24220662
November12560390
December26929258

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 15.7 km from Citra. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00086618 (Orange Springs 2SSW). Public domain.