Newkirk climate

Newkirk Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Newkirk 5NE, 7.9 km from Newkirk, elevation 1142 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Newkirk 5NE. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 3

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 7May 3May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12
32°FApr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 20
24°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 5
20°FMar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
16°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9

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 1Oct 7Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29
32°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 8
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 19
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 3Dec 10
16°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 25

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°F194187182178174170166161154
32°F212205201197192188183177170
28°F235227221216211207202197190
24°F258248242237232227222216207
20°F278271264260254248242235227
16°F302293287281275270265257248

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
4,442
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,631
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,042
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,683
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,463
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,380
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,437

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98605
February771018
March577388
April29421223
May86112493
June5328772
July0476941
August1433897
September33213630
October22741308
November562277
December899011

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 7.9 km from Newkirk. 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 USC00346278 (Newkirk 5NE). Public domain.