Geary climate

Geary Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Geary, 0.4 km from Geary, elevation 1571 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Geary. 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 November 5, a growing season of about 212 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 28, 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 26Apr 23Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3
32°FApr 23Apr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21
28°FApr 14Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 10Mar 3
24°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20
20°FMar 21Mar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 19Feb 14Feb 4
16°FMar 8Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 4Jan 28Jan 18

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 14Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
32°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 20
28°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
24°FNov 5Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
20°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 27
16°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 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°F213206201197193190185180173
32°F236227222216212208204198190
28°F258250245239234229224217209
24°F283274269263258252247240231
20°F310298291284278274269262251
16°F338328318311304297291283274

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
99% 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
3,784
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,832
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,635
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,171
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,860
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,705
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,699

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January849011
February678024
March4826122
April23525265
May52142556
June2360808
July0525990
August1478942
September23240668
October17352361
November492399
December798015

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 0.4 km from Geary. 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 USC00343497 (Geary). Public domain.