Tuscola climate

Tuscola Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tuscola, 0.8 km from Tuscola, elevation 651 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tuscola. 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 April 15 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 188 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first October 31

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°FMay 13May 8May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13
32°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3
28°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 19
24°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10
20°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
16°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17

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 27Oct 1Oct 5Oct 7Oct 11Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 7Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 14
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 2Dec 9
16°FNov 9Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21

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°F184178174170166161157152145
32°F207200196191188184180175167
28°F232223218213210206202197191
24°F253246240235230226221216209
20°F275268260255251246240235228
16°F295287280275270265260253245

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
5,635
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,076
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,872
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,660
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,578
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,617
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,781

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,20902
February98104
March763242
April38510159
May13491428
June14241678
July1316780
August5268728
September68126510
October33721206
November697139
December1,04104

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 0.8 km from Tuscola. 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 USC00118684 (Tuscola). Public domain.