Hood River County climate

Hood River County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Parkdale 1 Nne, 5.1 km from Hood River County, elevation 1520 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Parkdale 1 Nne. 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 May 13 and the first fall freeze around October 3, a growing season of about 142 days.

Median at 36°F
last June 8, first September 15
Median at 32°F
last May 13, first October 3
Median at 28°F
last April 21, first October 20

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°FJul 2Jun 25Jun 18Jun 13Jun 8Jun 4May 31May 26May 20
32°FJun 3May 27May 22May 17May 13May 9May 4Apr 30Apr 26
28°FMay 9May 3Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 15Apr 10Apr 4Mar 28
24°FApr 13Apr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28
20°FMar 15Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 21
16°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Feb 5Jan 29Jan 18Jan 7Dec 23

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°FAug 26Sep 2Sep 6Sep 10Sep 15Sep 19Sep 23Sep 28Oct 2
32°FSep 15Sep 24Sep 29Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 13Oct 19
28°FOct 3Oct 8Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 31Nov 6
24°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 9Nov 13Nov 20Nov 29
20°FOct 30Nov 6Nov 12Nov 18Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 14Dec 29
16°FNov 9Nov 18Nov 29Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19Dec 28Jan 5Jan 24

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°F1241151081029691857765
32°F167159153148142138132125116
28°F212203195189184177171165156
24°F263251243236229223216208197
20°F321304294284276269261252241
16°F360344334323314307300289270

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
92% 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
6,378
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
132
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,617
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,483
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,579
Growing degree days, base 55°F
885
Growing degree days, base 60°F
404

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97700
February80500
March73804
April570025
May3772128
June22111244
July8260443
August8950426
September2139252
October521053
November78903
December99800

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 5.1 km from Hood River County. 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 USC00356466 (Parkdale 1 Nne). Public domain.