Waynoka climate

Waynoka Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Waynoka, 0.7 km from Waynoka, elevation 1508 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Waynoka. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 12, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 2

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 4May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 7
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 27
28°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 14
24°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Mar 1
20°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19
16°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 19Feb 13Feb 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°FSep 30Oct 5Oct 9Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28
32°FOct 9Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
24°FOct 25Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 28
20°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5
16°FNov 10Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 21

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°F194187182178175170167162155
32°F213207202197192189184179171
28°F237229223219213209204199192
24°F259250243238234229223217210
20°F281271265260255250245238227
16°F305296288282276270264258249

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
4,165
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,971
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,557
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,153
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,896
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,785
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,813

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January91907
February731123
March5235109
April25635266
May69164561
June3393840
July15621,026
August0495959
September26260684
October21654330
November546381
December87409

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 0.7 km from Waynoka. 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 USC00349404 (Waynoka). Public domain.