Morrison Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mc Minnville. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 203 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 19, first October 20
- Median at 32°F
- last April 7, first October 30
- Median at 28°F
- last March 27, first November 7
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 5 | Apr 30 | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 16 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 4 |
| 32°F | Apr 23 | Apr 18 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 20 |
| 28°F | Apr 13 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 5 |
| 24°F | Apr 1 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 25 | Feb 18 |
| 20°F | Mar 21 | Mar 14 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 27 | Feb 22 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Jan 30 |
| 16°F | Mar 9 | Mar 1 | Feb 24 | Feb 16 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 22 | Jan 12 |
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 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 |
| 32°F | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 28°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 |
| 20°F | Nov 12 | Nov 19 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Jan 3 |
| 16°F | Nov 28 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 13 | Jan 23 |
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 | 202 | 196 | 191 | 187 | 182 | 178 | 174 | 169 | 162 |
| 32°F | 227 | 219 | 213 | 208 | 203 | 199 | 194 | 190 | 182 |
| 28°F | 254 | 244 | 236 | 231 | 227 | 221 | 216 | 210 | 203 |
| 24°F | 280 | 271 | 265 | 259 | 254 | 247 | 241 | 233 | 224 |
| 20°F | 315 | 303 | 294 | 287 | 280 | 275 | 268 | 260 | 250 |
| 16°F | 349 | 336 | 329 | 320 | 313 | 306 | 300 | 290 | 280 |
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
- 96% 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
- 3,286
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,565
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,709
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,173
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 4,782
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,546
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,476
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 748 | 1 | 40 |
| February | 580 | 1 | 55 |
| March | 421 | 11 | 158 |
| April | 182 | 47 | 332 |
| May | 52 | 143 | 557 |
| June | 3 | 303 | 750 |
| July | 0 | 409 | 874 |
| August | 0 | 378 | 843 |
| September | 19 | 215 | 646 |
| October | 174 | 50 | 355 |
| November | 444 | 6 | 121 |
| December | 664 | 1 | 51 |
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 14.7 km from Morrison. 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 USC00405882 (Mc Minnville). Public domain.