Mikoma climate

Mikoma Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Minter City, 22.3 km from Mikoma, elevation 145 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Minter City. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 254 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last February 23, first December 4

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 9Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1
32°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15
28°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 3Jan 25
24°FMar 4Feb 27Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 8
20°FFeb 28Feb 19Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 25Feb 14Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 12Jan 7Jan 1

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 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16Nov 22
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7
28°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 25Jan 3
24°FNov 26Dec 6Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15Jan 27
20°FDec 14Dec 24Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 12Jan 18Jan 26Feb 3
16°FDec 23Jan 2Jan 5Jan 10Jan 14Jan 20Jan 24Feb 1Feb 5

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°F253245239234229224220213204
32°F287274267260254249244237227
28°F322308300292285279273264253
24°F359344335328320313305296284
20°F365365365359350343334326311
16°F365365365365365365357344328

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
69% of years
16°F or colder
35% 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
2,508
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,404
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,162
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,526
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,022
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,666
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,457

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January643257
February467487
March28725244
April103100452
May9275731
June0440889
July05411,006
August0524989
September5356801
October98117490
November34117191
December554486

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 22.3 km from Mikoma. 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 USC00225897 (Minter City). Public domain.