Silver Springs climate

Silver Springs Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lahontan Dam, 15 km from Silver Springs, elevation 4167 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lahontan Dam. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 188 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 3, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 4

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 30May 17May 11May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 17
32°FMay 9Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 7Apr 2
28°FApr 20Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 24Mar 18Mar 11
24°FApr 5Mar 30Mar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22
20°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 9Feb 2
16°FMar 7Feb 27Feb 19Feb 14Feb 8Feb 3Jan 26Jan 16Jan 3

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 2Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 29
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 7
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20
24°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 6Nov 13Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 16
16°FNov 18Nov 24Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Jan 1

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°F186178172167162158153146135
32°F211203198193188183178172162
28°F243232225219214209204198190
24°F273263255248243237231225216
20°F305293283278272266261252244
16°F341329317309301293287278267

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
99% 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
4,521
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,459
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,563
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,202
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,017
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,007
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,161

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January90201
February68208
March541060
April3474156
May15166385
June30245665
July1496961
August1432896
September40188599
October27727247
November624038
December92502

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 15 km from Silver Springs. 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 USC00264349 (Lahontan Dam). Public domain.