Abernathy climate

Abernathy Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Abernathy, 0.2 km from Abernathy, elevation 3368 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Abernathy. 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 9 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 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°FMay 2Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 6
32°FApr 25Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 24
28°FApr 16Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 13Mar 8
24°FApr 3Mar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 24
20°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 8
16°FMar 9Mar 4Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 9Feb 4Jan 29Jan 15

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 6Oct 12Oct 17Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
32°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11
28°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
24°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 3
20°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17
16°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Dec 30Jan 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°F202196191187183180177172166
32°F224218212208204199194190183
28°F250241235230225220215210201
24°F273265259254250245240234224
20°F299290282277272268263256247
16°F337323314307301295289280270

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
3,638
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,581
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,434
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,938
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,598
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,429
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,426

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January792012
February619136
March4544123
April22628279
May71142539
June1337786
July0427891
August1405869
September26197621
October19141336
November498186
December761019

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 0.2 km from Abernathy. 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 USC00410012 (Abernathy). Public domain.