Eminence climate

Eminence Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Eminence 1 N, 0.6 km from Eminence, elevation 640 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Eminence 1 N. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 19, a growing season of about 182 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 19
Median at 28°F
last April 6, first October 28

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 4May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15
32°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 4
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 21
24°FApr 11Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 7
20°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25
16°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 20Feb 11

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 30Oct 3Oct 6Oct 8Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30
28°FOct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 10
24°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 26
20°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
16°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 15Dec 24

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°F181176171168165162159155149
32°F200194190186182178175171165
28°F225216211206203200195190183
24°F252243237231226221216210202
20°F276267260255249244238231222
16°F303291284278272266261255245

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
4,480
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,451
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,809
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,454
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,246
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,181
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,250

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98707
February774020
March576485
April27526243
May72133528
June4281727
July0415880
August2384848
September42173582
October26632262
November582155
December90008

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 0.6 km from Eminence. 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 USC00232619 (Eminence 1 N). Public domain.