Tangent climate

Tangent Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Corvallis State Univ, 12.2 km from Tangent, elevation 225 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Corvallis State Univ. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 194 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 11, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 17, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 17

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 20May 15May 11May 7May 3Apr 29Apr 25
32°FMay 8May 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 17Apr 12Apr 6Mar 31Mar 22
28°FApr 5Mar 26Mar 16Mar 8Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 13Jan 25
24°FFeb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 1Jan 24Jan 13Jan 3Dec 26Dec 10
20°FFeb 11Jan 30Jan 16Jan 7Dec 31Dec 25Dec 17Dec 11Dec 2
16°FFeb 4Jan 14Jan 1Dec 30Dec 23Dec 16Dec 13Dec 7Dec 4

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 23Sep 30Oct 2Oct 6Oct 10Oct 14Oct 17Oct 23Oct 28
32°FOct 5Oct 14Oct 20Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 10Nov 19
28°FOct 22Nov 1Nov 5Nov 12Nov 17Nov 23Nov 30Dec 6Dec 18
24°FNov 7Nov 16Nov 24Nov 30Dec 5Dec 11Dec 22Dec 30Jan 13
20°FNov 20Nov 30Dec 6Dec 11Dec 19Dec 24Dec 30Jan 9Jan 24
16°FDec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 26

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°F176168162157151146140133122
32°F227215207200194188182174163
28°F301286275267259250240230216
24°F362347337327318310300289273
20°F365365365365360348339330317
16°F365365365365365365365358339

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
55% of years
16°F or colder
23% 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
4,670
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
291
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,924
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,450
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,278
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,383
Growing degree days, base 60°F
724

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January74904
February61506
March572023
April444067
May2766206
June14228337
July30107542
August28107544
September10441387
October3581137
November588021
December76604

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 12.2 km from Tangent. 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 USC00351862 (Corvallis State Univ). Public domain.