Doyle climate

Doyle Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sparta Wastewater Plant, 6.8 km from Doyle, elevation 905 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sparta Wastewater Plant. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 1

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 11May 6May 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 10
32°FApr 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 17
24°FApr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 8Mar 1
20°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 12
16°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 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°FOct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29
20°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 17
16°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9

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°F190183178175171167163159152
32°F212205200195191188184179172
28°F235226220216212208204199191
24°F261251244239234229224219212
20°F293282275268262256250244236
16°F326315307301293287280271260

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
3,879
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,370
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,083
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,632
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,332
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,190
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,206

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January851021
February675029
March5094105
April24526264
May74111504
June4273718
July0381846
August0351815
September28188611
October22533298
November517388
December750033

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 6.8 km from Doyle. 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 USC00408522 (Sparta Wastewater Plant). Public domain.