Monroe Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Corvallis 10 Ssw. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 203 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 11, first October 11
- Median at 32°F
- last April 11, first October 30
- Median at 28°F
- last February 28, first November 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 30 | May 23 | May 18 | May 14 | May 11 | May 6 | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | May 5 | Apr 29 | Apr 24 | Apr 17 | Apr 11 | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 24 | Mar 11 |
| 28°F | Mar 30 | Mar 21 | Mar 12 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 12 | Jan 27 |
| 24°F | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Feb 1 | Jan 23 | Jan 9 | Dec 31 | Dec 14 |
| 20°F | Feb 21 | Feb 4 | Jan 24 | Jan 13 | Jan 4 | Dec 29 | Dec 20 | Dec 12 | Dec 3 |
| 16°F | Feb 2 | Jan 9 | Dec 31 | Dec 26 | Dec 22 | Dec 16 | Dec 12 | Dec 7 | Dec 3 |
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 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Nov 1 |
| 32°F | Oct 8 | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 16 | Nov 25 |
| 28°F | Oct 27 | Nov 2 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 10 | Dec 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 11 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 6 | Jan 27 |
| 20°F | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 5 | Jan 16 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 25 |
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 | 181 | 172 | 165 | 159 | 154 | 148 | 144 | 138 | 129 |
| 32°F | 241 | 228 | 218 | 211 | 203 | 197 | 190 | 182 | 172 |
| 28°F | 311 | 292 | 281 | 272 | 262 | 256 | 248 | 239 | 227 |
| 24°F | 365 | 348 | 337 | 329 | 318 | 310 | 303 | 290 | 274 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 363 | 353 | 341 | 331 | 315 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 364 | 347 |
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
- 90% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 54% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 22% 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
- 4,853
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 216
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 4,699
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 3,245
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,088
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,222
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 603
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 750 | 0 | 5 |
| February | 627 | 0 | 4 |
| March | 583 | 0 | 20 |
| April | 465 | 0 | 54 |
| May | 312 | 3 | 169 |
| June | 163 | 21 | 308 |
| July | 39 | 81 | 507 |
| August | 37 | 81 | 508 |
| September | 118 | 30 | 362 |
| October | 373 | 1 | 125 |
| November | 609 | 0 | 20 |
| December | 776 | 0 | 5 |
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 11.9 km from Monroe. 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 USW00004236 (Corvallis 10 Ssw). Public domain.