Mesquite climate

Mesquite Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bunkerville, 5.1 km from Mesquite, elevation 1600 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bunkerville. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last February 26, first November 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°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 16
32°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 19Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31
24°FMar 5Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 28Jan 20Jan 8
20°FFeb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 18Jan 11Jan 3Dec 27Dec 18
16°FFeb 1Jan 27Jan 16Jan 12Jan 6Jan 2Dec 29Dec 22Dec 13

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

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°F231223218214210206202196189
32°F265255249243238234229223216
28°F295286279274269264257249239
24°F335324315307301295288280269
20°F365357349342336330324316305
16°F365365365365365365357349337

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
87% of years
16°F or colder
40% 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
2,561
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,761
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,366
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,681
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,175
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,866
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,737

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January620014
February427060
March2776208
April11260399
May16261710
June1508957
July07301,195
August06931,158
September4406852
October7495488
November3753126
December655010

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 5.1 km from Mesquite. 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 USC00261327 (Bunkerville). Public domain.