Cole climate

Cole Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Blanchard 2 Ssw, 9 km from Cole, elevation 1275 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Blanchard 2 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 April 3 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 214 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 13

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°FApr 30Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
32°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 15
28°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 1
24°FMar 28Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
20°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10Feb 1
16°FMar 8Mar 2Feb 25Feb 18Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 16

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°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18
28°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
24°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10
20°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 25
16°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 13

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°F214207202199194191186181175
32°F238230224219214210205200193
28°F262253246241237231226219209
24°F286277271263257252246240232
20°F314303295288283277270261253
16°F341331322313306301294285274

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
98% 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
3,328
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,054
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,207
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,678
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,292
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,061
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,984

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January783020
February599150
March40712167
April17546338
May40173599
June1380829
July05501,015
August0524989
September15287722
October14673405
November4337131
December729029

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 km from Cole. 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 USC00340830 (Blanchard 2 Ssw). Public domain.