Lakin climate

Lakin Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lakin, 0.5 km from Lakin, elevation 2998 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lakin. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 7, 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 9May 6May 3May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 19Apr 14
32°FMay 1Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4
28°FApr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 23
24°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 10
20°FApr 5Apr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Feb 26
16°FMar 28Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12

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

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°F186180175172169165162157150
32°F204199195190187183179175169
28°F227219214209205201197192187
24°F246238232228223220214209202
20°F267260254248243238233227218
16°F294284277271265259253246237

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
4,870
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,520
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,625
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,318
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,161
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,148
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,269

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January99402
February806010
March627164
April35613182
May123101451
June11312752
July1467931
August2400863
September47195601
October28930258
November653145
December96203

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 0.5 km from Lakin. 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 USC00144464 (Lakin). Public domain.