Indian Springs climate

Indian Springs Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Desert NWR, 31.4 km from Indian Springs, elevation 2914 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Desert NWR. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 22, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 19

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 2Apr 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 29Mar 21
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Feb 28
28°FMar 25Mar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7
24°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 16Jan 3
20°FFeb 17Feb 6Jan 30Jan 19Jan 12Jan 4Dec 31Dec 24Dec 13
16°FFeb 9Jan 20Jan 12Jan 5Jan 2Dec 30Dec 25Dec 20Dec 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°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 21Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22
28°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 14Nov 17Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 17Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 26
20°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 11Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 6Jan 23
16°FDec 10Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 14Feb 2

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°F224216209205201196190183172
32°F253245239234229224219213204
28°F291282275269264259251245235
24°F335323315308302295288281270
20°F365364356349342336330321307
16°F365365365365365365361353339

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
78% of years
16°F or colder
30% 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
2,983
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,115
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,334
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,703
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,272
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,049
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,998

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January65709
February503033
March3572147
April17224307
May44171593
June3408855
July06011,066
August05501,015
September6307752
October12651394
November428197
December68805

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 31.4 km from Indian Springs. 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 USC00262243 (Desert NWR). Public domain.