Meadow Oaks Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brooksville Hernando CO AP. 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 5, a growing season of about 281 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 17, first November 21
- Median at 32°F
- last March 1, first December 5
- Median at 28°F
- last February 7, first December 29
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 9 | Apr 2 | Mar 28 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 5 | Feb 27 | Feb 18 |
| 32°F | Mar 27 | Mar 18 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 18 | Feb 9 | Jan 30 |
| 28°F | Mar 12 | Mar 1 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 20 | Jan 8 |
| 24°F | Feb 21 | Feb 10 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 23 | Jan 18 | Jan 11 | Jan 6 | Dec 30 |
| 20°F | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 26 | Jan 20 | Jan 16 | Jan 12 | Jan 8 | Jan 3 | Dec 29 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 1 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 13 |
| 32°F | Nov 11 | Nov 19 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 6 |
| 28°F | Nov 27 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 18 | Feb 2 |
| 24°F | Dec 4 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 27 | Feb 5 |
| 20°F | Dec 22 | Dec 31 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 284 | 272 | 264 | 257 | 250 | 243 | 237 | 229 | 220 |
| 32°F | 317 | 305 | 295 | 288 | 281 | 274 | 266 | 257 | 244 |
| 28°F | 359 | 341 | 333 | 324 | 315 | 306 | 298 | 289 | 277 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 361 | 353 | 344 | 335 | 327 | 311 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 357 | 342 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
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
- 93% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 64% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 26% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 6% 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
- 876
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,965
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 11,219
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 9,413
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 7,646
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,961
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,385
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 265 | 32 | 271 |
| February | 169 | 46 | 310 |
| March | 104 | 79 | 445 |
| April | 30 | 158 | 578 |
| May | 1 | 322 | 786 |
| June | 0 | 451 | 901 |
| July | 0 | 505 | 970 |
| August | 0 | 512 | 977 |
| September | 0 | 444 | 894 |
| October | 17 | 268 | 716 |
| November | 89 | 93 | 456 |
| December | 201 | 55 | 343 |
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 20.3 km from Meadow Oaks. 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 USW00012818 (Brooksville Hernando CO AP). Public domain.