Napi Headquarters Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Farmington Ag Sci Cnt. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around October 15, a growing season of about 167 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 12, first October 7
- Median at 32°F
- last April 29, first October 15
- Median at 28°F
- last April 17, first October 26
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 29 | May 23 | May 19 | May 15 | May 12 | May 9 | May 5 | May 2 | Apr 28 |
| 32°F | May 13 | May 8 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 27 | Apr 24 | Apr 20 | Apr 15 |
| 28°F | May 2 | Apr 27 | Apr 24 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 5 | Mar 31 |
| 24°F | Apr 20 | Apr 13 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 12 |
| 20°F | Apr 3 | Mar 27 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 |
| 16°F | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 15 | Feb 10 | Feb 2 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Oct 2 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 1 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 |
| 28°F | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 10 |
| 24°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 |
| 16°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 165 | 159 | 154 | 150 | 146 | 143 | 139 | 133 | 127 |
| 32°F | 186 | 180 | 174 | 171 | 167 | 163 | 159 | 154 | 147 |
| 28°F | 213 | 205 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 186 | 182 | 176 | 170 |
| 24°F | 240 | 231 | 227 | 222 | 217 | 212 | 206 | 201 | 192 |
| 20°F | 269 | 261 | 255 | 250 | 245 | 240 | 235 | 229 | 220 |
| 16°F | 301 | 290 | 284 | 278 | 273 | 268 | 263 | 257 | 248 |
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
- 5,321
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 911
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,585
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,352
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,275
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,346
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,559
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,068 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 805 | 0 | 1 |
| March | 646 | 0 | 24 |
| April | 422 | 1 | 110 |
| May | 180 | 31 | 330 |
| June | 21 | 186 | 615 |
| July | 1 | 334 | 798 |
| August | 2 | 265 | 728 |
| September | 62 | 92 | 482 |
| October | 351 | 3 | 171 |
| November | 719 | 0 | 16 |
| December | 1,046 | 0 | 0 |
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 9.1 km from Napi Headquarters. 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 USC00293142 (Farmington Ag Sci Cnt). Public domain.