Goldfield climate

Goldfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Goldfield, 0.3 km from Goldfield, elevation 5690 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Goldfield. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 12, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 12, 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°FJun 10Jun 2May 27May 19May 12May 7May 2Apr 29Apr 25
32°FMay 28May 14May 6Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 15Apr 9
28°FMay 4Apr 27Apr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 24
24°FApr 17Apr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 21Mar 15Mar 9Feb 28
20°FApr 1Mar 20Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 6
16°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Feb 2Jan 23Jan 12

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 28Oct 1Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 25
32°FOct 7Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27
20°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8
16°FNov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 8Dec 10Dec 15Dec 22

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°F173165159152147141134127119
32°F199191183178174168162154142
28°F225217210205200195189183172
24°F258249240234229223218211201
20°F295283276269264257250242231
16°F329317308301294288282274265

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
5,267
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
937
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,531
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,295
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,233
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,320
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,557

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96700
February79602
March651029
April457195
May22132302
June60156549
July4349810
August3297759
September6196486
October3446181
November703019
December99900

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 0.3 km from Goldfield. 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 USC00263285 (Goldfield). Public domain.