Searchlight climate

Searchlight Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Searchlight, 0.2 km from Searchlight, elevation 3540 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Searchlight. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 29, a growing season of about 266 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 17
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 29
Median at 28°F
last February 11, first December 11

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 1Apr 21Apr 14Apr 7Apr 1Mar 26Mar 20Mar 13Mar 5
32°FApr 10Mar 28Mar 19Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 8
28°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 25Jan 11Jan 1
24°FFeb 20Feb 9Feb 1Jan 25Jan 15Jan 6Dec 31Dec 23Dec 9
20°FFeb 18Feb 10Jan 30Jan 25Jan 21Jan 11Jan 5Jan 1Dec 21
16°F–––––––––

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 28Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 2
32°FNov 7Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17
28°FNov 20Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 11
24°FNov 29Dec 7Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 10Jan 23Feb 5
20°FDec 18Dec 30Jan 1Jan 8Jan 18Jan 23Jan 29Feb 8Feb 17
16°F–––––––––

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°F258246239232226220212205192
32°F303288280273266257249239226
28°F348334326319312304297286273
24°F365365365362353343335328316
20°F365365365365365365365365352
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
98% of years
24°F or colder
67% of years
20°F or colder
17% of years
16°F or colder
3% 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
2,704
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,359
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,847
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,184
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,694
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,402
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,299

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January589032
February469058
March3396176
April17541326
May58188596
June3435882
July06151,080
August05751,040
September4375821
October86116498
November3547160
December626025

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 0.2 km from Searchlight. 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 USC00267369 (Searchlight). Public domain.