Tipton climate

Tipton Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for California, 19.6 km from Tipton, elevation 879 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for California. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 195 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 2

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 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 7
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28
28°FApr 16Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
24°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 3
20°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21
16°FMar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11

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 1Oct 6Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 20Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
24°FOct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29
20°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 9
16°FNov 12Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16Dec 21

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°F193187182177174170166160154
32°F217210204199195190186181174
28°F238230225219215212207201194
24°F259250244240234229225219213
20°F279271266260255250245239232
16°F300291285279274269264257248

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
4,943
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,315
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,476
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,173
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,008
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,976
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,075

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,09204
February854014
March643372
April32619207
May10896457
June9261702
July1391856
August2355818
September53158556
October28629251
November617262
December950010

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 19.6 km from Tipton. 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 USC00231189 (California). Public domain.