Southeast Arcadia climate

Southeast Arcadia Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Arcadia, 4.2 km from Southeast Arcadia, elevation 25 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Arcadia. 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 February 7 and the first fall freeze around January 4, a growing season of about 324 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 1, first December 17
Median at 32°F
last February 7, first January 4
Median at 28°F
last January 28, first January 11

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 24Mar 17Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 16Feb 8Jan 31
32°FMar 10Mar 1Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Feb 2Jan 28Jan 20Jan 8
28°FFeb 26Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 14Jan 8Dec 31
24°FFeb 3Jan 29Jan 25Jan 20Jan 17Jan 12Jan 8Jan 5Dec 31
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°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Dec 31Jan 6Jan 16
32°FDec 8Dec 19Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 16Jan 24Feb 6
28°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 17Jan 26Feb 2Feb 16
24°FDec 28Jan 2Jan 5Jan 8Jan 11Jan 15Jan 19Jan 25Jan 30
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°F328314306300292286279270258
32°F365349339331324317309302290
28°F365365365365361350341332319
24°F365365365365365365365362345
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
100% of years
32°F or colder
91% of years
28°F or colder
57% of years
24°F or colder
21% of years
20°F or colder
4% 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
581
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,217
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,763
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,945
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,147
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,398
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,740

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January18843338
February11764373
March67115514
April17200633
May3357820
June0452901
July0505970
August0515980
September0454904
October7311769
November50128529
December13374416

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 4.2 km from Southeast Arcadia. 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 USC00080228 (Arcadia). Public domain.