Yukon Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Oklahoma City Post AP. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 216 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 13, first October 27
- Median at 32°F
- last April 2, first November 4
- Median at 28°F
- last March 19, 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 29 | Apr 23 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 7 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 |
| 32°F | Apr 18 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 | Mar 14 |
| 28°F | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 |
| 24°F | Mar 27 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 |
| 20°F | Mar 15 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 2 | Feb 27 | Feb 23 | Feb 19 | Feb 13 | Jan 31 |
| 16°F | Mar 7 | Mar 2 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 14 | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 27 | Jan 16 |
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 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 32°F | Oct 21 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 28°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 30 |
| 24°F | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 20°F | Nov 14 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 25 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 17 |
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 | 216 | 210 | 205 | 201 | 196 | 193 | 189 | 183 | 178 |
| 32°F | 239 | 232 | 226 | 221 | 216 | 212 | 207 | 202 | 194 |
| 28°F | 262 | 254 | 247 | 242 | 237 | 233 | 229 | 223 | 213 |
| 24°F | 285 | 275 | 270 | 264 | 259 | 253 | 248 | 241 | 230 |
| 20°F | 309 | 300 | 293 | 286 | 282 | 276 | 270 | 262 | 252 |
| 16°F | 342 | 328 | 321 | 314 | 307 | 301 | 295 | 287 | 276 |
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
- 3,432
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,167
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,238
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,727
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,363
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,153
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,087
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 801 | 0 | 20 |
| February | 613 | 2 | 46 |
| March | 414 | 14 | 164 |
| April | 191 | 51 | 330 |
| May | 40 | 188 | 613 |
| June | 1 | 407 | 856 |
| July | 0 | 586 | 1,051 |
| August | 0 | 541 | 1,006 |
| September | 15 | 293 | 728 |
| October | 161 | 79 | 397 |
| November | 446 | 7 | 126 |
| December | 749 | 0 | 28 |
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 10.8 km from Yukon. 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 USW00003954 (Oklahoma City Post AP). Public domain.