Nicholls climate

Nicholls Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Alma Bacon CO AP, 12.3 km from Nicholls, elevation 193 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Alma Bacon 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 256 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 24, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 11, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 21, first December 7

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 13Apr 6Apr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 5
32°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 17
28°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31Jan 20
24°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 12Jan 1
20°FFeb 22Feb 11Feb 5Jan 30Jan 25Jan 17Jan 9Jan 2Dec 25
16°FFeb 15Feb 8Feb 3Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 16Jan 11Jan 4

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 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 24
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 12
28°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15Dec 23Jan 1Jan 11
24°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 13Dec 23Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 19Feb 1
20°FDec 13Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 26Feb 2Feb 10
16°FJan 3Jan 9Jan 14Jan 18Jan 24Jan 31Feb 3Feb 7Feb 14

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°F256246240235229224218212204
32°F287276269262256251245240230
28°F330314305300292285276268257
24°F365351342335328319310303290
20°F365365365365362351341331318
16°F365365365365365365365365343

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
100% of years
24°F or colder
86% of years
20°F or colder
50% of years
16°F or colder
14% 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
1,645
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,542
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,051
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,294
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,629
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,103
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,732

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4427134
February31013171
March18938330
April61106496
May6290749
June0450900
July05391,004
August0519984
September1376825
October46159579
November21434287
December37712170

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 12.3 km from Nicholls. 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 USW00013870 (Alma Bacon CO AP). Public domain.