Agua Dulce climate

Agua Dulce Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Alice Intl AP, 12.3 km from Agua Dulce, elevation 173 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Alice Intl AP. 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 February 5 and the first fall freeze around December 10, a growing season of about 312 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 25, first November 27
Median at 32°F
last February 5, first December 10
Median at 28°F
last January 16, first December 27

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°FMar 19Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 15Feb 8Jan 29
32°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 29Jan 23Jan 15Dec 30
28°FFeb 22Feb 11Feb 2Jan 25Jan 16Jan 8Jan 1Dec 24Dec 10
24°FFeb 14Feb 1Jan 19Jan 10Jan 5Dec 31Dec 25Dec 17Dec 7
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 19
32°FNov 16Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Jan 1Jan 13
28°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 14Dec 19Dec 27Jan 2Jan 8Jan 17Feb 3
24°FDec 6Dec 14Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 23Feb 13
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F312300293285278271264256246
32°F353340330321312303295285273
28°F365365365358349340332319304
24°F365365365365365365365360342
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
97% of years
28°F or colder
69% of years
24°F or colder
25% of years
20°F or colder
2% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
885
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,764
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,009
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,203
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,438
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,754
Growing degree days, base 60°F
5,189

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January27933255
February16765335
March75148541
April13268705
May0447911
June05681,019
July06321,097
August06521,118
September0495945
October11298752
November99110467
December24048294

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 12.3 km from Agua Dulce. 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 USW00012932 (Alice Intl AP). Public domain.