Leon climate

Leon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for El Dorado, 15.3 km from Leon, elevation 1290 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for El Dorado. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 13, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 2

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 5May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 8
32°FApr 27Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 28
28°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16
24°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4
20°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24
16°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11

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 1Oct 7Oct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 30
32°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 17
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30
20°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8
16°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 23

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°F194187182178174170166162155
32°F215207202198193189186180174
28°F236229223218214210205200192
24°F257249244239234230225219211
20°F278269263258254249245239230
16°F302293287281275270265259250

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
4,620
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,574
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,890
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,545
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,347
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,292
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,368

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,01803
February808013
March597375
April29921222
May91113489
June4312757
July0467932
August1421885
September38201614
October24836287
November588265
December92806

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 15.3 km from Leon. 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 USC00142401 (El Dorado). Public domain.