Weston Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Milton Freewater. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 218 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 19, first October 17
- Median at 32°F
- last March 25, first October 29
- Median at 28°F
- last March 5, first November 11
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 8 | May 2 | Apr 28 | Apr 23 | Apr 19 | Apr 13 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Mar 29 |
| 32°F | Apr 16 | Apr 8 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 28 | Mar 21 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 21 | Feb 17 | Feb 11 | Feb 3 | Jan 22 |
| 20°F | Mar 1 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 13 | Feb 7 | Jan 31 | Jan 22 | Jan 13 | Jan 1 |
| 16°F | Feb 26 | Feb 16 | Feb 8 | Feb 2 | Jan 27 | Jan 18 | Jan 10 | Jan 2 | Dec 18 |
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 | Oct 2 | Oct 7 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Nov 2 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 16 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Dec 1 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 |
| 20°F | Nov 9 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 26 | Jan 7 |
| 16°F | Nov 15 | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 10 | Jan 29 |
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 | 211 | 201 | 194 | 188 | 182 | 178 | 172 | 166 | 158 |
| 32°F | 243 | 235 | 229 | 223 | 218 | 212 | 206 | 200 | 191 |
| 28°F | 276 | 266 | 258 | 253 | 247 | 242 | 236 | 229 | 217 |
| 24°F | 313 | 301 | 290 | 282 | 275 | 270 | 263 | 255 | 245 |
| 20°F | 345 | 332 | 323 | 314 | 306 | 297 | 288 | 279 | 268 |
| 16°F | 365 | 358 | 346 | 338 | 331 | 323 | 315 | 306 | 291 |
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
- 98% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 86% 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
- 4,472
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,027
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,179
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,747
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,513
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,498
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,675
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 860 | 0 | 7 |
| February | 680 | 0 | 13 |
| March | 524 | 0 | 53 |
| April | 329 | 5 | 149 |
| May | 146 | 53 | 373 |
| June | 39 | 137 | 548 |
| July | 2 | 367 | 829 |
| August | 4 | 338 | 800 |
| September | 54 | 117 | 513 |
| October | 319 | 10 | 191 |
| November | 641 | 0 | 32 |
| December | 874 | 0 | 7 |
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 14.4 km from Weston. 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 USC00355593 (Milton Freewater). Public domain.