Bad Axe climate

Bad Axe Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bad Axe, 0.9 km from Bad Axe, elevation 715 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bad Axe. 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 May 5 and the first fall freeze around October 19, a growing season of about 163 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 17, first October 6
Median at 32°F
last May 5, first October 19
Median at 28°F
last April 24, 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 31May 26May 23May 20May 17May 13May 10May 7May 3
32°FMay 20May 15May 11May 8May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22
28°FMay 9May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 8
24°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 5Apr 2Mar 28
20°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16
16°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 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 23Sep 28Sep 30Oct 2Oct 6Oct 8Oct 12Oct 16Oct 22
32°FOct 2Oct 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 3
28°FOct 15Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
20°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
16°FNov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24

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°F162155149144140136132127120
32°F186179173168163159155150143
28°F210203198194190186181175168
24°F239231224219215211206201194
20°F261253247242238234230224217
16°F284275270264259254250244237

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
7,229
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
499
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,324
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,293
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,396
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,626
Growing degree days, base 60°F
987

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,33400
February1,17900
March1,034110
April656244
May32728213
June8597464
July22173617
August32140573
September15752352
October4716110
November800013
December1,13301

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 0.9 km from Bad Axe. 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 USC00200417 (Bad Axe). Public domain.