Osceola County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cadillac 9&10 News. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 1, a growing season of about 139 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 29, first September 20
- Median at 32°F
- last May 15, first October 1
- Median at 28°F
- last May 3, first October 13
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jun 15 | Jun 8 | Jun 4 | Jun 1 | May 29 | May 26 | May 23 | May 19 | May 12 |
| 32°F | May 30 | May 25 | May 22 | May 18 | May 15 | May 11 | May 7 | May 4 | Apr 30 |
| 28°F | May 19 | May 13 | May 9 | May 5 | May 3 | Apr 30 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 |
| 24°F | May 6 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 24 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 11 |
| 20°F | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 |
| 16°F | Apr 17 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 22 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 4 | Sep 10 | Sep 15 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 |
| 32°F | Sep 18 | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 16 |
| 28°F | Sep 28 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 |
| 24°F | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 |
| 20°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 10 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 135 | 128 | 123 | 118 | 113 | 109 | 105 | 99 | 92 |
| 32°F | 159 | 152 | 148 | 143 | 139 | 134 | 129 | 124 | 116 |
| 28°F | 183 | 176 | 171 | 166 | 162 | 158 | 154 | 150 | 142 |
| 24°F | 206 | 198 | 193 | 189 | 185 | 181 | 177 | 172 | 165 |
| 20°F | 229 | 223 | 217 | 213 | 209 | 205 | 201 | 196 | 189 |
| 16°F | 254 | 247 | 241 | 235 | 231 | 227 | 222 | 217 | 211 |
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
- 7,826
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 351
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 3,948
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,974
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,124
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,388
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 789
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,419 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,239 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 1,109 | 1 | 12 |
| April | 696 | 0 | 34 |
| May | 335 | 16 | 203 |
| June | 84 | 70 | 438 |
| July | 37 | 130 | 558 |
| August | 53 | 98 | 510 |
| September | 207 | 36 | 291 |
| October | 550 | 1 | 70 |
| November | 884 | 0 | 8 |
| December | 1,214 | 0 | 0 |
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 25.5 km from Osceola County. 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 USC00201178 (Cadillac 9&10 News). Public domain.