Seneca climate

Seneca Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Neosho, 22.5 km from Seneca, elevation 1033 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Neosho. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 206 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 19, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 27, first November 8

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

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 6Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 2
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 14
28°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7
20°FNov 11Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22
16°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 19Dec 22Dec 28Jan 6

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°F204196191187182178173168160
32°F230221215210206201195190183
28°F254245239234229223217212203
24°F278269262255251245240234224
20°F306295286280274269263255246
16°F328317309303297291284277267

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
3,976
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,679
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,387
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,953
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,664
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,519
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,524

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January905015
February702132
March5059121
April24041285
May73138532
June5326771
July0468933
August1430894
September34213629
October21448322
November4965105
December800126

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 22.5 km from Seneca. 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 USC00235976 (Neosho). Public domain.