Vale climate

Vale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Vale, 0.5 km from Vale, elevation 2240 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Vale. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around September 29, a growing season of about 140 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 31, first September 17
Median at 32°F
last May 8, first September 29
Median at 28°F
last April 25, first October 9

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 21Jun 14Jun 10Jun 5May 31May 24May 18May 12May 6
32°FJun 7May 25May 16May 11May 8May 4May 1Apr 28Apr 23
28°FMay 14May 6Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 8
24°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 23
20°FApr 13Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 23Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27
16°FApr 1Mar 16Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9Jan 28

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 1Sep 7Sep 11Sep 13Sep 17Sep 20Sep 23Sep 27Oct 1
32°FSep 11Sep 17Sep 23Sep 26Sep 29Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 11
28°FSep 25Sep 30Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22
24°FOct 7Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 4
20°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 13Nov 19
16°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2

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°F135127120114108103979182
32°F162155151145140134128120109
28°F188181175171167163158153144
24°F216208203198194189185178171
20°F251242235230224220213207198
16°F294281272265259252246238225

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
100% 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
6,202
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
730
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,823
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,692
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,730
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,919
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,257

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,13800
February86100
March696010
April491169
May22932284
June8191461
July8313770
August18238685
September13653373
October515274
November88203
December1,14800

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 0.5 km from Vale. 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 USC00358797 (Vale). Public domain.