Cawood climate

Cawood Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Baxter, 12.3 km from Cawood, elevation 1164 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Baxter. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 197 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 6

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 11May 6May 2Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13
32°FMay 1Apr 24Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31
28°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
24°FApr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28
20°FMar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9
16°FMar 17Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 22

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 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10
28°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21
24°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
20°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17Dec 25
16°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 20Dec 26Dec 30Jan 4Jan 14

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°F196189184180176172167163157
32°F216210205201197194189185177
28°F243235229225221216212207201
24°F273264258252247242236231223
20°F306293286279274268261255246
16°F335325316308301295287280269

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
99% 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
4,324
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,051
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,427
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,036
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,806
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,735
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,816

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January913010
February734015
March592170
April30313208
May10374438
June10210649
July1311775
August1285749
September36138552
October25520257
November571161
December806021

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 12.3 km from Cawood. 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 USC00150450 (Baxter). Public domain.