Puxico climate

Puxico Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wappapello Dam, 11.6 km from Puxico, elevation 410 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wappapello Dam. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 215 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 14

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

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 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 5
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
28°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
24°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
20°FNov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 25
16°FNov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 24Dec 29Jan 2Jan 10

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°F212206200197192188184180174
32°F237230224218215210205200194
28°F263254248242238233228222215
24°F284276270266262256250244235
20°F310300294287282276271265255
16°F334325318311306301294287276

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
4,393
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,441
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,831
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,469
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,250
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,172
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,238

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98307
February772011
March579271
April26519236
May73110503
June4302748
July0417882
August0379843
September31182602
October23828275
November570162
December87909

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 11.6 km from Puxico. 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 USC00238700 (Wappapello Dam). Public domain.