Watonga climate

Watonga Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Watonga, 1.4 km from Watonga, elevation 1530 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Watonga. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 194 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 23, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 4

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 6May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 9
32°FApr 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30
28°FApr 19Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 15
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 1
20°FMar 30Mar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19
16°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10Feb 1

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 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30
32°FOct 11Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18
24°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 30
20°FNov 2Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4Dec 11
16°FNov 10Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 26

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°F194187183179175171167162155
32°F214207202198194189185180172
28°F237230224219215210206201193
24°F260252246241236230224218211
20°F286276270264259254247241231
16°F312301294288282276270263254

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
4,064
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,863
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,498
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,080
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,811
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,688
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,708

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January89608
February712127
March5155111
April25532263
May69148546
June2368816
July0530995
August0478942
September26245669
October21054335
November534386
December844012

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 1.4 km from Watonga. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00349364 (Watonga). Public domain.