Boonville Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Boonville 4 Ssw. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around October 4, a growing season of about 145 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 24, first September 25
- Median at 32°F
- last May 10, first October 4
- Median at 28°F
- last April 30, first October 15
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 | Jun 8 | Jun 3 | May 31 | May 28 | May 24 | May 21 | May 17 | May 13 | May 8 |
| 32°F | May 28 | May 22 | May 18 | May 14 | May 10 | May 7 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 28 |
| 28°F | May 16 | May 10 | May 6 | May 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 28 | Apr 25 | Apr 22 | Apr 17 |
| 24°F | May 4 | Apr 30 | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 6 |
| 20°F | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 7 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 |
| 16°F | Apr 16 | Apr 11 | Apr 7 | Apr 5 | Apr 3 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 |
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 12 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 |
| 32°F | Sep 22 | Sep 27 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 18 |
| 28°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 |
| 24°F | Oct 10 | Oct 16 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 |
| 20°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 |
| 16°F | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Dec 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 143 | 136 | 131 | 126 | 123 | 120 | 115 | 110 | 103 |
| 32°F | 165 | 158 | 153 | 149 | 145 | 142 | 137 | 133 | 126 |
| 28°F | 187 | 180 | 175 | 172 | 167 | 163 | 159 | 154 | 148 |
| 24°F | 209 | 202 | 197 | 192 | 187 | 183 | 179 | 174 | 168 |
| 20°F | 229 | 223 | 217 | 213 | 210 | 206 | 202 | 197 | 189 |
| 16°F | 246 | 240 | 235 | 231 | 228 | 224 | 220 | 216 | 209 |
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
- 8,531
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 194
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 3,505
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,571
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 1,759
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,074
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 538
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,507 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,309 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 1,192 | 0 | 4 |
| April | 755 | 1 | 29 |
| May | 388 | 10 | 159 |
| June | 148 | 35 | 342 |
| July | 56 | 73 | 482 |
| August | 75 | 58 | 448 |
| September | 251 | 17 | 238 |
| October | 611 | 1 | 52 |
| November | 941 | 0 | 5 |
| December | 1,299 | 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 5.9 km from Boonville. 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 USC00300785 (Boonville 4 Ssw). Public domain.