Clay County climate

Clay County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Oneida, 13.2 km from Clay County, elevation 760 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Oneida. 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 26, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 3, 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 11May 6May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 19Apr 15
32°FMay 3Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3
28°FApr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 2
20°FMar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 14
16°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31

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 7Oct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28
32°FOct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30
20°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 20
16°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 27Jan 1Jan 11

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°F189183179175172169165160155
32°F209203199195192188183178172
28°F233226221216212209205200194
24°F262253246241236232227223215
20°F294283276269264258253247239
16°F324313305298294287280272261

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
4,334
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,115
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,507
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,112
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,879
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,810
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,889

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January936010
February741020
March578274
April29713216
May9981452
June5215660
July1321786
August1301766
September38156569
October25625260
November566151
December818017

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 13.2 km from Clay County. 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 USC00156028 (Oneida). Public domain.