Chubbuck climate

Chubbuck Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pocatello City, 5.3 km from Chubbuck, elevation 4460 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pocatello City. 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 May 2 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 161 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 17, first September 30
Median at 32°F
last May 2, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 17, first October 24

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°FJun 5May 29May 24May 21May 17May 14May 10May 7May 1
32°FMay 18May 13May 9May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 27Apr 23Apr 17
28°FMay 4Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5Mar 30
24°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15Mar 9
20°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24
16°FMar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Mar 1Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 11

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°FSep 12Sep 19Sep 24Sep 27Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 9Oct 15
32°FSep 26Oct 2Oct 5Oct 9Oct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 26
28°FOct 8Oct 14Oct 18Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
24°FOct 19Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18
20°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26
16°FNov 3Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7

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°F156148144138134129125118110
32°F180174169165161157152148139
28°F211203197192188183179172165
24°F240232227221216212207202192
20°F266258254249244239235229220
16°F288280275270266262257252243

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
6,130
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
755
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,971
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,823
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,830
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,994
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,307

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,12800
February94200
March729016
April488171
May25317248
June80108480
July4308770
August10250705
September11168413
October4433120
November81308
December1,12900

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 5.3 km from Chubbuck. 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 USC00107210 (Pocatello City). Public domain.