Winfield Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Winfield 3NE. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 189 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 26, first October 13
- Median at 32°F
- last April 16, first October 22
- Median at 28°F
- last April 3, 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 8 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 15 | Apr 9 |
| 32°F | May 1 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 8 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 |
| 28°F | Apr 22 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 7 | Apr 3 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 17 |
| 24°F | Apr 10 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 |
| 20°F | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 25 |
| 16°F | Mar 20 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 6 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 15 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 29 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 7 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 3 |
| 28°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 15 |
| 24°F | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 |
| 20°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 |
| 16°F | Nov 9 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 188 | 182 | 177 | 173 | 170 | 166 | 162 | 157 | 150 |
| 32°F | 210 | 202 | 198 | 193 | 189 | 185 | 180 | 175 | 167 |
| 28°F | 231 | 223 | 218 | 213 | 209 | 205 | 201 | 195 | 187 |
| 24°F | 254 | 246 | 239 | 234 | 229 | 225 | 220 | 214 | 206 |
| 20°F | 274 | 265 | 259 | 254 | 249 | 245 | 239 | 234 | 225 |
| 16°F | 294 | 286 | 279 | 274 | 269 | 264 | 259 | 253 | 246 |
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
- 4,658
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,514
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,803
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 5,466
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,270
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,214
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,298
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,017 | 0 | 4 |
| February | 801 | 0 | 15 |
| March | 592 | 3 | 81 |
| April | 307 | 20 | 216 |
| May | 99 | 106 | 474 |
| June | 6 | 294 | 738 |
| July | 0 | 454 | 919 |
| August | 1 | 407 | 871 |
| September | 44 | 194 | 601 |
| October | 258 | 35 | 279 |
| November | 596 | 2 | 66 |
| December | 937 | 0 | 7 |
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 7.3 km from Winfield. 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 USC00148964 (Winfield 3NE). Public domain.