Holden climate

Holden Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Elm, 17.6 km from Holden, elevation 850 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Elm. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 191 days.

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

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 29Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 22Oct 25
32°FOct 9Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11Nov 17
24°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27
20°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7
16°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 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°F188182178174170166162157150
32°F211205200196191187183178171
28°F233227221217212209205199191
24°F255247241237233228223218210
20°F276268262256252248243237230
16°F293286280275270266261255247

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
5,244
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,213
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,205
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,937
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,805
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,808
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,940

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,14402
February90009
March672262
April35611176
May12482428
June11248687
July1377842
August3332795
September63138527
October31322226
November656148
December1,00305

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 17.6 km from Holden. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00232568 (Elm). Public domain.