Agate Beach climate

Agate Beach Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Newport, 3.8 km from Agate Beach, elevation 122 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Newport. 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 March 21 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 252 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 21, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last February 6, first December 22

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 5Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 7Mar 30
32°FApr 12Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21Mar 13Mar 4Feb 23Feb 11
28°FMar 11Mar 2Feb 23Feb 16Feb 6Jan 24Jan 11Dec 31Dec 12
24°FFeb 23Feb 13Jan 29Jan 16Jan 4Dec 28Dec 21Dec 13Dec 6
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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 11Oct 18Oct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 10Nov 16Nov 26
32°FNov 1Nov 9Nov 15Nov 22Nov 27Dec 2Dec 8Dec 17Dec 28
28°FNov 15Nov 27Dec 4Dec 11Dec 22Jan 1Jan 11Jan 26Feb 18
24°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 16Dec 22Dec 28Jan 4Jan 16Feb 1Feb 20
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F224214207200195189183176167
32°F297282270261252244236226215
28°F365362345334325314305293279
24°F365365365365365365363345333
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
84% of years
24°F or colder
34% of years
20°F or colder
9% of years
16°F or colder
2% 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
5,238
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,944
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,324
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,089
Growing degree days, base 55°F
333
Growing degree days, base 60°F
38

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January62609
February549011
March589014
April518021
May403084
June3000152
July2370228
August2130253
September2642190
October392095
November519027
December62807

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 3.8 km from Agate Beach. 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 USW00024285 (Newport). Public domain.