Pandora climate

Pandora Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pandora, 0.2 km from Pandora, elevation 770 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pandora. 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 22, a growing season of about 180 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 3, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 23, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last April 14, first November 2

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 18May 13May 10May 6May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 24Apr 19
32°FMay 9May 3Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10
28°FApr 29Apr 23Apr 19Apr 16Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
24°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16
20°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 3
16°FMar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 26Sep 30Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 19Oct 23
32°FOct 6Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 4
28°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1
20°FNov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14
16°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 24

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°F177171166162158154150145137
32°F199192187184180176172167159
28°F221215211207203199194189183
24°F250241236231226222218213207
20°F274265258253249244239233227
16°F295287280275269264257252243

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
5,843
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
896
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,519
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,329
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,272
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,346
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,553

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,19603
February99804
March817232
April4469125
May16771377
June24200625
July3279741
August8222679
September8798463
October36416181
November699137
December1,03406

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 0.2 km from Pandora. 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 USC00336405 (Pandora). Public domain.