Spanish Springs climate

Spanish Springs Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Spanish Springs, 1.3 km from Spanish Springs, elevation 4489 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Spanish Springs. 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 May 3 and the first fall freeze around October 10, a growing season of about 157 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 20, first September 27
Median at 32°F
last May 3, first October 10
Median at 28°F
last April 20, first October 22

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

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°F151145138134130125120114105
32°F176170166161157154149142134
28°F202196191187182178174169161
24°F236226220215212206202195190
20°F271260254247243237231225216
16°F305293285280274268262256248

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
5,373
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
673
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,111
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,861
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,801
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,941
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,236

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96400
February76002
March656017
April474069
May24816248
June6894478
July3278740
August4222683
September9159423
October4003128
November725012
December98101

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 1.3 km from Spanish 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 USC00267691 (Spanish Springs). Public domain.