Quail Ridge climate

Quail Ridge Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brooksville Hernando CO AP, 17 km from Quail Ridge, elevation 77 ft

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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 9Apr 2Mar 28Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 5Feb 27Feb 18
32°FMar 27Mar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 9Jan 30
28°FMar 12Mar 1Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 8
24°FFeb 21Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 18Jan 11Jan 6Dec 30
20°FFeb 8Feb 1Jan 26Jan 20Jan 16Jan 12Jan 8Jan 3Dec 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 13
32°FNov 11Nov 19Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 19Dec 28Jan 6
28°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 10Dec 21Dec 29Jan 3Jan 9Jan 18Feb 2
24°FDec 4Dec 21Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 27Feb 5
20°FDec 22Dec 31Jan 2Jan 8Jan 11Jan 16Jan 20Jan 27Feb 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F284272264257250243237229220
32°F317305295288281274266257244
28°F359341333324315306298289277
24°F365365365361353344335327311
20°F365365365365365365365357342
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
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

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January26532271
February16946310
March10479445
April30158578
May1322786
June0451901
July0505970
August0512977
September0444894
October17268716
November8993456
December20155343

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 17 km from Quail Ridge. 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.