Esmeralda County climate

Esmeralda County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Silverpeak, 6.4 km from Esmeralda County, elevation 4274 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Silverpeak. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around October 16, a growing season of about 177 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 6
Median at 32°F
last April 23, first October 16
Median at 28°F
last April 12, first October 23

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 23May 15May 9May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 27Apr 24Apr 18
32°FMay 9May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 6
28°FApr 30Apr 25Apr 20Apr 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 29Mar 19
24°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 6Apr 1Mar 26Mar 19Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2
20°FApr 5Mar 24Mar 15Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15
16°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 12Feb 8Feb 1

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°FSep 25Sep 29Oct 2Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 16Oct 20
32°FOct 3Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 30
28°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
24°FOct 17Oct 21Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
20°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25
16°FNov 4Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 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°F177170165161157153148140131
32°F197190185181177171167162155
28°F219211205200195191186180171
24°F246240232226220214209201191
20°F272264258253248243237229218
16°F299291285278273268262256245

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
4,921
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,364
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,291
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,003
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,876
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,898
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,065

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,00400
February73903
March554052
April3526157
May13082423
June20267698
July1464928
August1393857
September44144551
October3248191
November705015
December1,04700

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 6.4 km from Esmeralda County. 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 USC00267463 (Silverpeak). Public domain.