Calumet Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for El Reno 1 N. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 206 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 17, first October 21
- Median at 32°F
- last April 6, first October 31
- Median at 28°F
- last March 26, first November 7
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 1 | Apr 26 | Apr 24 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 1 |
| 32°F | Apr 22 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 |
| 28°F | Apr 11 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 |
| 24°F | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 27 |
| 20°F | Mar 20 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 22 | Feb 14 |
| 16°F | Mar 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 18 | Feb 12 | Feb 4 | Jan 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 3 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 19 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 8 |
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 | 205 | 198 | 193 | 189 | 185 | 181 | 177 | 172 | 164 |
| 32°F | 227 | 220 | 215 | 211 | 206 | 202 | 198 | 193 | 185 |
| 28°F | 247 | 240 | 235 | 230 | 226 | 222 | 217 | 211 | 203 |
| 24°F | 271 | 263 | 257 | 252 | 247 | 242 | 237 | 231 | 222 |
| 20°F | 297 | 287 | 280 | 274 | 268 | 263 | 258 | 251 | 242 |
| 16°F | 324 | 312 | 305 | 298 | 292 | 286 | 279 | 271 | 261 |
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
- 3,917
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,814
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,514
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,077
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,796
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,662
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,667
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 873 | 0 | 6 |
| February | 692 | 0 | 23 |
| March | 510 | 6 | 113 |
| April | 228 | 28 | 274 |
| May | 56 | 144 | 554 |
| June | 2 | 353 | 801 |
| July | 0 | 521 | 986 |
| August | 1 | 473 | 937 |
| September | 31 | 234 | 653 |
| October | 192 | 50 | 344 |
| November | 516 | 4 | 92 |
| December | 817 | 0 | 15 |
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 15.9 km from Calumet. 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 USC00342818 (El Reno 1 N). Public domain.