Mabel climate

Mabel Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mabel, 0.8 km from Mabel, elevation 1112 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mabel. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around September 28, a growing season of about 140 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 20, first September 18
Median at 32°F
last May 10, first September 28
Median at 28°F
last May 1, first October 6

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 28May 25May 23May 20May 18May 15May 12May 6
32°FMay 23May 18May 15May 13May 10May 7May 4May 1Apr 27
28°FMay 14May 9May 6May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 16
24°FMay 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 5
20°FApr 26Apr 21Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26
16°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 15

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 5Sep 9Sep 13Sep 16Sep 18Sep 21Sep 23Sep 27Oct 1
32°FSep 14Sep 18Sep 22Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 10
28°FSep 22Sep 28Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 11Oct 15Oct 20
24°FOct 2Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30
20°FOct 14Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 12
16°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23

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°F140134129124121117114110104
32°F158151147143140136132128122
28°F178171165162158155151146140
24°F197190185182178174171166160
20°F221213208204199196192187179
16°F243236230225220216212206198

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
8,148
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
358
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,069
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,069
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,193
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,439
Growing degree days, base 60°F
812

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,58400
February1,32600
March1,07901
April644044
May30414215
June5779472
July18139586
August5096511
September20328288
October570269
November95708
December1,35800

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 0.8 km from Mabel. 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 USC00214990 (Mabel). Public domain.