Cheboygan climate

Cheboygan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cheboygan, 0.7 km from Cheboygan, elevation 588 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cheboygan. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 152 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 24, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last May 11, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 30, first October 22

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°FJun 7Jun 2May 30May 27May 24May 22May 19May 15May 10
32°FMay 25May 21May 18May 14May 11May 9May 5May 2Apr 29
28°FMay 15May 9May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 15
24°FMay 3Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5
20°FApr 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 27
16°FApr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18

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

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°F147140136131128125121116108
32°F173166160156152147143138131
28°F194188184179175170165160152
24°F221214209205200196191184176
20°F244236232226221216213206197
16°F263256250245240236231224215

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
8,024
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
308
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,707
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,753
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,935
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,245
Growing degree days, base 60°F
693

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,41700
February1,27000
March1,15502
April764015
May4225120
June13945359
July41120544
August45100521
September20035297
October542371
November85207
December1,18000

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 0.7 km from Cheboygan. 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 USC00201492 (Cheboygan). Public domain.