Cherryvale climate

Cherryvale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Big Hill Lake, 7 km from Cherryvale, elevation 907 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Big Hill Lake. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 8

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 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Mar 31
32°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22
28°FApr 9Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
24°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1
20°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19
16°FMar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 21Feb 16Feb 9

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 9Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
32°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
28°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
20°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16
16°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23Dec 31

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°F208202198193190186181175169
32°F227220215212208205200196189
28°F247240235230227222218213207
24°F267260255249245240235229221
20°F288280273268262258252247239
16°F311301293287282276271265254

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
4,369
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,550
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,034
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,655
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,416
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,321
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,366

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January99006
February774018
March561588
April26625249
May79108497
June5296741
July0450914
August1428893
September29201623
October22437303
November562170
December877015

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 7 km from Cherryvale. 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 USC00140810 (Big Hill Lake). Public domain.