Cameron climate

Cameron Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cameron, 1.3 km from Cameron, elevation 1010 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cameron. 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 April 15 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 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°FMay 7May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13
32°FApr 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 13Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3
28°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 20
24°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 6
20°FMar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27
16°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 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 29Oct 4Oct 8Oct 12Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 29
32°FOct 10Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 19
24°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8
16°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 18

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°F190184179175171167163158151
32°F210204199195192188184179171
28°F232224219215211207202198192
24°F256246240234229225221216209
20°F274265259254249244239233225
16°F293284277272266262257250241

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
5,673
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,173
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,923
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,718
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,646
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,691
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,875

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,23500
February98702
March732019
April4088145
May13678411
June4245691
July0377842
August1317780
September70129511
October32718210
November703136
December1,07001

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 1.3 km from Cameron. 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 USC00231216 (Cameron). Public domain.