Fairview Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fairview 1W Mesonet. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 208 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 18, first October 23
- Median at 32°F
- last April 5, first November 1
- Median at 28°F
- last March 26, first November 10
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 28 | Apr 24 | Apr 21 | Apr 18 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 7 | Apr 2 |
| 32°F | Apr 20 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 20 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 8 |
| 24°F | Apr 1 | Mar 26 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 |
| 20°F | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 27 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 12 |
| 16°F | Mar 9 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 21 | Feb 17 | Feb 11 | Feb 5 | Jan 25 |
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 9 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 32°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 15 |
| 28°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
| 20°F | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 |
| 16°F | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 208 | 200 | 195 | 191 | 187 | 183 | 179 | 174 | 166 |
| 32°F | 230 | 222 | 217 | 212 | 208 | 204 | 200 | 195 | 187 |
| 28°F | 254 | 246 | 240 | 235 | 230 | 225 | 220 | 214 | 205 |
| 24°F | 278 | 268 | 262 | 257 | 251 | 246 | 241 | 234 | 225 |
| 20°F | 303 | 292 | 285 | 279 | 274 | 268 | 263 | 257 | 247 |
| 16°F | 329 | 318 | 309 | 303 | 297 | 291 | 285 | 278 | 270 |
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
- 3,868
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,049
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,799
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,358
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,061
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,916
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,911
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 856 | 0 | 11 |
| February | 693 | 1 | 35 |
| March | 488 | 9 | 122 |
| April | 229 | 37 | 287 |
| May | 64 | 179 | 581 |
| June | 1 | 411 | 861 |
| July | 0 | 561 | 1,026 |
| August | 0 | 505 | 970 |
| September | 18 | 273 | 705 |
| October | 194 | 68 | 363 |
| November | 508 | 4 | 89 |
| December | 818 | 0 | 13 |
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 1.7 km from Fairview. 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 USC00343048 (Fairview 1W Mesonet). Public domain.