Stearns climate

Stearns Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Stearns 2S, 2.8 km from Stearns, elevation 1220 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Stearns 2S. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around October 18, a growing season of about 177 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 4, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 24, first October 18
Median at 28°F
last April 10, first October 29

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 21May 14May 10May 6May 4Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 20
32°FMay 11May 5May 1Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 8
28°FApr 30Apr 23Apr 18Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 24
24°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 7
20°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22
16°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7

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 27Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 23
32°FOct 4Oct 8Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 29Nov 2
28°FOct 13Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
24°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25
20°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 11
16°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 17Dec 23Dec 30

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°F178172166162158155150145138
32°F198191186181177172167162154
28°F221214210204200195190185176
24°F251241234229224219215210201
20°F279270263257251246240232224
16°F311301293285278272267260250

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
4,615
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
948
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,133
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,779
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,583
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,546
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,669

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January947010
February783014
March599066
April32214196
May11570423
June21188616
July1291755
August4255716
September56115509
October31214211
November607151
December849017

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 2.8 km from Stearns. 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 USC00157677 (Stearns 2S). Public domain.