Bloomfield climate

Bloomfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bloomfield 3 Se, 5.3 km from Bloomfield, elevation 5806 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bloomfield 3 Se. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around October 19, a growing season of about 177 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 6, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 23, first October 19
Median at 28°F
last April 9, first October 31

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 20May 15May 11May 8May 6May 4May 2Apr 29Apr 25
32°FMay 7May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9
28°FApr 24Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23
24°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6
20°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 13
16°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 27Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Feb 7Feb 2Jan 24

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 27Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 6Oct 10Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12
24°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21
20°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1
16°FNov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14

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°F173167163160156152148144138
32°F198190185180177173169164158
28°F223216211207203198194189182
24°F252244238233230226220215206
20°F281272265261256251246241233
16°F311301295289283278272265256

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
4,929
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,087
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,988
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,703
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,577
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,604
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,774

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,02300
February76301
March598028
April3611135
May13241379
June9231672
July0380845
August1311775
September41118528
October3035199
November687015
December1,01200

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 5.3 km from Bloomfield. 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 USC00291063 (Bloomfield 3 Se). Public domain.