Salina climate

Salina Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Salina Muni AP, 5.6 km from Salina, elevation 1269 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Salina Muni AP. 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 28, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 7, first November 1

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 6May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14
32°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3
28°FApr 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21
24°FApr 12Apr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 7
20°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
16°FMar 24Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14

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 29Oct 4Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26
32°FOct 10Oct 15Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 4
28°FOct 18Oct 24Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26
20°FNov 2Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 5
16°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17

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°F186180175171168164161156150
32°F208201196192187183179174168
28°F228221216211207202198193186
24°F251243237231226222217211203
20°F274264258252247242236230222
16°F294286278272267262257250242

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
4,931
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,624
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,756
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,460
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,300
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,277
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,385

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06201
February841012
March615373
April32917196
May109112472
June6340784
July0495959
August1423887
September48199603
October28234262
November643151
December99503

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 5.6 km from Salina. 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 USW00003919 (Salina Muni AP). Public domain.