Steele climate

Steele Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Blytheville, 19.1 km from Steele, elevation 252 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Blytheville. 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 March 18 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 240 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 8, first November 27

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 14Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14
32°FApr 3Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 2
28°FMar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19
24°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 3
20°FMar 8Mar 1Feb 24Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Feb 1Jan 25Jan 15
16°FFeb 28Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 14Jan 6

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 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18
32°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
28°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15
24°FNov 20Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 26Jan 2
20°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 15Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 21
16°FDec 10Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 15Jan 21Jan 30

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°F238231226221217213209204198
32°F263255250245240236231226218
28°F289280273267262257253246236
24°F317306300293286281275268259
20°F344334328320313306301293284
16°F365360352344337332325315305

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
82% 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
3,520
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,998
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,001
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,514
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,174
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,980
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,919

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January851017
February644034
March45610136
April17757347
May32203636
June1417865
July0505970
August0462927
September14267703
October15771389
November4497122
December738029

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 19.1 km from Steele. 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 USC00030806 (Blytheville). Public domain.