Pacific City climate

Pacific City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cloverdale, 5.5 km from Pacific City, elevation 12 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cloverdale. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around November 22, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last March 17, first November 22
Median at 28°F
last January 25, first December 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 15May 8May 3Apr 29Apr 27Apr 22Apr 16Apr 9Mar 31
32°FApr 15Apr 5Mar 31Mar 25Mar 17Mar 8Feb 28Feb 22Feb 9
28°FFeb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 4Jan 25Jan 12Dec 31Dec 14Dec 3
24°FFeb 12Feb 2Jan 18Jan 4Dec 31Dec 22Dec 15Dec 10Dec 2
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 2Oct 10Oct 17Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 4Nov 12Nov 21
32°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 9Nov 15Nov 22Nov 29Dec 5Dec 12Dec 31
28°FNov 8Nov 21Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 27Jan 6Jan 26Feb 14
24°FNov 30Dec 6Dec 12Dec 16Dec 24Jan 1Jan 11Jan 31Feb 9
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°F217206196188183177170161152
32°F304286273261251243234222206
28°F365365356340332320312299279
24°F365365365365365365365352333
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
74% of years
24°F or colder
28% of years
20°F or colder
6% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
4,593
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
27
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,592
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,924
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,590
Growing degree days, base 55°F
682
Growing degree days, base 60°F
177

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January594016
February519018
March540027
April465042
May3542125
June2403213
July1445325
August1337340
September1789281
October3361145
November480045
December611013

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 5.5 km from Pacific City. 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 USC00351682 (Cloverdale). Public domain.