Concordia climate

Concordia Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sweet Springs, 13.1 km from Concordia, elevation 675 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sweet Springs. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 184 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first October 29

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 11May 6May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14
32°FMay 2Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 10Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19
24°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 5
20°FMar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26
16°FMar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 16

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 24Sep 29Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 1Oct 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
28°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10
24°FOct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22
20°FNov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5
16°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 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°F182176171167163159154149143
32°F205198193188184180175170162
28°F227220215211207203199194186
24°F252243237233228224219213207
20°F274265260255250245241235227
16°F292285279273268264258252244

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
5,162
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,284
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,336
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,063
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,921
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,910
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,029

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,15002
February888012
March655365
April34317195
May11297453
June9265706
July1393857
August2340803
September62143533
October30625235
November648153
December98708

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 13.1 km from Concordia. 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 USC00238223 (Sweet Springs). Public domain.