Wiggins climate

Wiggins Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wiggins, 2 km from Wiggins, elevation 160 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wiggins. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 249 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 29, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 27, first December 3

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 15Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 8
32°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21
28°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 8Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 9Jan 30
24°FMar 13Mar 4Feb 26Feb 20Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 22Jan 10
20°FMar 1Feb 19Feb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 23Jan 15Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 11Feb 2Jan 31Jan 25Jan 20Jan 14Jan 9Jan 2Dec 28

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 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 9
28°FNov 9Nov 18Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 17Dec 28Jan 4
24°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 25
20°FDec 9Dec 21Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 17Jan 27Feb 4
16°FDec 19Dec 29Jan 1Jan 8Jan 11Jan 15Jan 21Jan 30Feb 4

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°F253242235229224219214208200
32°F282271262255249244238231222
28°F314304297289282275267257247
24°F356340332321313305299291279
20°F365365364354346337331318304
16°F365365365365365365354343331

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
74% of years
16°F or colder
37% 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
1,893
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,306
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,585
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,850
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,228
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,753
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,441

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January5045100
February35111144
March21234305
April7485462
May8242699
June0426876
July0493958
August0493958
September1352801
October62135540
November25723244
December4248142

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 2 km from Wiggins. 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 USC00229639 (Wiggins). Public domain.