Fitzgerald climate

Fitzgerald Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fitzgerald, 0.5 km from Fitzgerald, elevation 370 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fitzgerald. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 268 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 17, first November 11
Median at 32°F
last March 2, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last February 13, first December 12

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 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
32°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 4
28°FMar 13Mar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 13
24°FFeb 28Feb 17Feb 8Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 15Jan 6Dec 29
20°FFeb 13Feb 2Jan 31Jan 24Jan 19Jan 14Jan 7Jan 2Dec 27
16°FFeb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 23Jan 18Jan 12Jan 8Jan 4Jan 1

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°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 30
32°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 19
28°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 12
24°FDec 3Dec 10Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 20Feb 2
20°FDec 14Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 20Jan 26Feb 2
16°FDec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 17Jan 20Jan 23Jan 30Feb 3

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°F268259251246241236231224215
32°F299287281273268262256249241
28°F338328318310302295287279267
24°F365364353342335329320312298
20°F365365365365365361350337326
16°F365365365365365365365365355

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
82% of years
20°F or colder
43% of years
16°F or colder
13% 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
1,869
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,387
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,683
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,939
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,298
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,818
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,511

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4872102
February3485132
March21628297
April7494470
May10275730
June0438888
July05411,006
August0497962
September3343790
October55134545
November25426248
December4235127

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 0.5 km from Fitzgerald. 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 USC00093386 (Fitzgerald). Public domain.