Mound City Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Falls City 4NE. 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 14, a growing season of about 177 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 29, first October 4
- Median at 32°F
- last April 18, first October 14
- Median at 28°F
- last April 9, first October 25
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 11 | May 6 | May 3 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 16 |
| 32°F | May 2 | Apr 27 | Apr 24 | Apr 21 | Apr 18 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 10 | Apr 5 |
| 28°F | Apr 23 | Apr 18 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 28 |
| 24°F | Apr 17 | Apr 10 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 14 |
| 20°F | Apr 7 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F | Mar 30 | Mar 24 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 26 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 20 | Sep 25 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 17 |
| 32°F | Sep 28 | Oct 4 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 |
| 28°F | Oct 10 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 24°F | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 |
| 20°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 |
| 16°F | Nov 4 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 175 | 170 | 165 | 161 | 157 | 154 | 150 | 146 | 141 |
| 32°F | 196 | 190 | 185 | 181 | 177 | 174 | 169 | 165 | 157 |
| 28°F | 217 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 197 | 193 | 189 | 185 | 178 |
| 24°F | 236 | 230 | 225 | 220 | 216 | 212 | 207 | 203 | 196 |
| 20°F | 256 | 249 | 244 | 238 | 235 | 230 | 226 | 220 | 212 |
| 16°F | 276 | 269 | 263 | 258 | 254 | 250 | 244 | 239 | 230 |
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
- 5,915
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,111
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,825
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,634
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,557
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,610
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,797
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,262 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,012 | 0 | 5 |
| March | 768 | 1 | 31 |
| April | 412 | 4 | 141 |
| May | 135 | 74 | 414 |
| June | 8 | 241 | 683 |
| July | 1 | 367 | 830 |
| August | 4 | 287 | 748 |
| September | 86 | 118 | 485 |
| October | 361 | 18 | 190 |
| November | 747 | 0 | 30 |
| December | 1,120 | 0 | 1 |
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 25.2 km from Mound City. 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 USC00252851 (Falls City 4NE). Public domain.