Carl Junction climate

Carl Junction Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Joplin Regional Airport, 6.5 km from Carl Junction, elevation 980 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Joplin Regional Airport. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 200 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 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°FMay 6May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 10Apr 4
32°FApr 26Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24
28°FApr 16Apr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 10
24°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26
20°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16
16°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 15Feb 9Feb 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 3Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
28°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 22
24°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 4
20°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17
16°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29

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°F198191186182178174170164157
32°F221214209203200196190185178
28°F244235230225220216212206198
24°F270261253248243238232226217
20°F293283276271266261255247237
16°F318307300294288282275270259

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
4,120
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,650
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,274
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,864
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,594
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,467
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,485

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January933014
February719130
March5179118
April24936271
May79126513
June4322768
July0462927
August1433897
September36207622
October22649315
November523597
December833022

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 6.5 km from Carl Junction. 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 USW00013987 (Joplin Regional Airport). Public domain.