Tabor climate

Tabor Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Glenwood 3SW, 15.1 km from Tabor, elevation 980 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Glenwood 3SW. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 170 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 3, first October 2
Median at 32°F
last April 23, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 12, first October 21

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 17May 12May 8May 5May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 24Apr 19
32°FMay 6May 2Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9
28°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
24°FApr 18Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 24Mar 17
20°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6
16°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27

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 19Sep 24Sep 28Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15
32°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 25
28°FOct 3Oct 10Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
24°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13
20°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 26
16°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6

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°F170163159154151147143139132
32°F190183178174170166161156150
28°F208202198194190186182176169
24°F230222217213209205200196188
20°F251242236231226221217212205
16°F270262256250245240235230221

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
6,188
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,070
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,669
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,514
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,476
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,548
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,742

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,31400
February1,05502
March792138
April43513142
May15972387
June16235669
July2336800
August6272731
September90122485
October38318190
November776131
December1,16102

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 15.1 km from Tabor. 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 USC00133290 (Glenwood 3SW). Public domain.