Sedan climate

Sedan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sedan, 0.8 km from Sedan, elevation 902 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sedan. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 199 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 4

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 28Apr 24Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 6
32°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 1Mar 30Mar 24
28°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 11
24°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28
20°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
16°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 3

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 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26Oct 31
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19
24°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 5Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13
16°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 25

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°F199192186182178174169165157
32°F220211207202199194190185177
28°F244236230225221216212207199
24°F266258251247242237232227219
20°F288279273268264259254248240
16°F312302296289284279274268260

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
4,359
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,604
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,075
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,698
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,465
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,371
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,418

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97507
February762020
March556698
April27528245
May85112493
June5303748
July0470935
August1436900
September36204619
October23243305
November553482
December880013

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 0.8 km from Sedan. 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 USC00147305 (Sedan). Public domain.