Sky Lake climate

Sky Lake Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Orlando Intl AP, 6.9 km from Sky Lake, elevation 90 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Orlando Intl 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 January 25 and the first fall freeze around January 10, a growing season of about 355 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 5, first January 1
Median at 32°F
last January 25, first January 10
Median at 28°F
last January 16, first January 13

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°FMar 9Feb 28Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 9
32°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 4Jan 31Jan 25Jan 19Jan 13Jan 7Dec 30
28°FFeb 9Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 16Jan 11Jan 8Jan 4Dec 28
24°F–––––––––
20°F–––––––––
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°FDec 6Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 20Jan 31
32°FDec 18Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 17Jan 22Jan 30Feb 10
28°FDec 24Jan 2Jan 6Jan 9Jan 13Jan 18Jan 23Jan 30Feb 5
24°F–––––––––
20°F–––––––––
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°F358347338333326318310302290
32°F365365365361355348339332317
28°F365365365365365365365360343
24°F365365365365365365365365365
20°F365365365365365365365365365
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
94% of years
32°F or colder
61% of years
28°F or colder
23% of years
24°F or colder
4% of years
20°F or colder
0% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
525
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,452
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,053
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,233
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,428
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,665
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,990

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January18046345
February10567386
March54127539
April10224665
May1383848
June0486936
July05461,011
August05471,012
September0480930
October6329789
November43140548
December12776421

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 6.9 km from Sky Lake. 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 USW00012815 (Orlando Intl AP). Public domain.