Culp Creek climate

Culp Creek Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Dorena, 12.7 km from Culp Creek, elevation 820 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Dorena. 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 28, a growing season of about 194 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 9, first October 5
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 12, first November 21

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°FJun 2May 25May 18May 14May 9May 5May 1Apr 27Apr 20
32°FMay 11May 2Apr 27Apr 22Apr 16Apr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 24
28°FApr 13Apr 2Mar 26Mar 19Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 12
24°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 14Feb 7Jan 28Jan 11Dec 23
20°FFeb 21Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31Jan 17Jan 4Dec 29Dec 20Dec 10
16°FFeb 8Jan 24Jan 9Dec 31Dec 28Dec 23Dec 17Dec 12Dec 8

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 14Sep 23Sep 28Oct 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 14Oct 20Oct 29
32°FOct 4Oct 13Oct 19Oct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 12Nov 23
28°FOct 24Nov 1Nov 7Nov 14Nov 21Nov 28Dec 3Dec 12Dec 23
24°FNov 6Nov 22Dec 1Dec 8Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 16Feb 9
20°FNov 29Dec 8Dec 16Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 17Feb 1Feb 13
16°FDec 6Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 23Dec 28Dec 31Jan 11Feb 4

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°F179170161155149143136128117
32°F228218208201194187180170157
28°F296281270261252242233223209
24°F360342331319310301292279263
20°F365365365365358349339328313
16°F365365365365365365365360345

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
91% of years
20°F or colder
53% of years
16°F or colder
20% 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
4,933
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
200
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,595
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,160
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,028
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,178
Growing degree days, base 60°F
567

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January74904
February63006
March601021
April471058
May3085180
June17718292
July4679498
August4674493
September14122333
October3851119
November600021
December77804

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 12.7 km from Culp Creek. 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 USC00352374 (Dorena). Public domain.