El Dorado Springs climate

El Dorado Springs Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Eldorado Springs, 1.5 km from El Dorado Springs, elevation 915 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Eldorado 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 8 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 199 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 8, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 6

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 8May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 17Apr 13Apr 8Apr 2
32°FApr 27Apr 20Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23
28°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10
24°FApr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28
20°FMar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16
16°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 12Feb 3

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 2Oct 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31
32°FOct 13Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10
28°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
24°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4
20°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18
16°FNov 19Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30

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°F198191187182178173168163156
32°F222214209204199194190185176
28°F246238232227223218213208200
24°F269261255250244239234227218
20°F290282276270265261256249241
16°F314303297290284278273267258

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
4,583
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,393
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,730
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,377
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,167
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,099
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,174

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,02106
February793018
March595484
April30120220
May10390455
June8269711
July0417882
August1379843
September48174577
October25135282
November573375
December890015

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 1.5 km from El Dorado Springs. 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 USC00232511 (Eldorado Springs). Public domain.