Fort Leonard Wood climate

Fort Leonard Wood Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Leonard Wood, 6.5 km from Fort Leonard Wood, elevation 1123 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Leonard Wood. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 1

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 10May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 10
32°FApr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 16
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 8Mar 1
20°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 19
16°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 5

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 1Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12Nov 17
24°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 11
16°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25

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°F191183178174170166161157150
32°F213206201197193188183178171
28°F237229223219215210206201194
24°F260251245240235230225220213
20°F282273267263257252246240231
16°F307298290283278273267260252

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
4,728
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,241
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,469
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,137
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,947
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,903
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,004

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,03007
February801024
March625475
April30719212
May11190448
June7239682
July1375840
August2331793
September52148546
October28433253
November601256
December908010

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 Fort Leonard Wood. 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 USC00232981 (Ft Leonard Wood). Public domain.