Red Chute climate

Red Chute Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Red River Rsch Stn, 15.1 km from Red Chute, elevation 155 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Red River Rsch Stn. 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 March 6 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 256 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 22, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 6, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28
32°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15
28°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10Feb 2Jan 25
24°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 1
20°FFeb 18Feb 5Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 12Jan 6Jan 1Dec 26
16°FFeb 7Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 12Jan 5Jan 3Dec 24

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

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°F254246239234229223217211202
32°F284274267262256251245239231
28°F320307300292285279272264254
24°F358344336330322314306297284
20°F365365365365360351344335325
16°F365365365365365365365365356

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
95% of years
20°F or colder
57% of years
16°F or colder
17% 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
2,252
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,532
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,496
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,826
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,279
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,875
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,620

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January581374
February4196112
March25530274
April9197459
May11276730
June0467916
July05671,032
August05591,024
September4370816
October80127514
November29223227
December519699

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 15.1 km from Red Chute. 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 USC00167738 (Red River Rsch Stn). Public domain.