Bloomfield climate

Bloomfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bloomfield, 1.4 km from Bloomfield, elevation 858 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bloomfield. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 188 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 6, 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 10May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 17Apr 13
32°FApr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1
28°FApr 20Apr 16Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
24°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11
20°FApr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3
16°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 22

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 26Oct 1Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24
32°FOct 5Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 25
20°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
16°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15

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°F186179175171167162158153147
32°F207200195191188183180173166
28°F227220215211208205200195190
24°F248240234229226222217213206
20°F268259254248244239234228221
16°F285277270265261257253246239

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
6,035
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,044
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,700
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,516
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,456
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,520
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,714

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,29100
February1,04603
March792138
April4217135
May15464382
June16217651
July1339803
August5284744
September86115482
October36316186
November740030
December1,12102

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 1.4 km from Bloomfield. 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 USC00130753 (Bloomfield). Public domain.