Alice Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Alice. 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 January 29 and the first fall freeze around December 29, a growing season of about 337 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last February 13, first December 9
- Median at 32°F
- last January 29, first December 29
- Median at 28°F
- last January 15, first January 6
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 | Mar 11 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 | Feb 4 | Jan 29 | Jan 21 | Jan 7 |
| 32°F | Mar 5 | Feb 24 | Feb 14 | Feb 4 | Jan 29 | Jan 20 | Jan 12 | Jan 2 | Dec 17 |
| 28°F | Feb 26 | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 24 | Jan 15 | Jan 7 | Jan 4 | Dec 28 | Dec 15 |
| 24°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 16 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 | Jan 13 |
| 32°F | Nov 25 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 11 | Jan 21 | Feb 9 |
| 28°F | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 22 | Feb 1 | Feb 12 |
| 24°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 338 | 327 | 316 | 307 | 301 | 294 | 285 | 276 | 264 |
| 32°F | 365 | 365 | 357 | 346 | 337 | 329 | 320 | 308 | 293 |
| 28°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 361 | 348 | 331 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
How often it gets that cold
The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.
- 36°F or colder
- 98% of years
- 32°F or colder
- 76% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 34% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 7% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 0% 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
- 769
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 4,071
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 12,433
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 10,624
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 8,847
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 7,141
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 5,539
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 258 | 28 | 263 |
| February | 134 | 65 | 361 |
| March | 61 | 161 | 569 |
| April | 10 | 301 | 741 |
| May | 1 | 478 | 942 |
| June | 0 | 612 | 1,062 |
| July | 0 | 673 | 1,138 |
| August | 0 | 676 | 1,141 |
| September | 0 | 533 | 983 |
| October | 10 | 346 | 802 |
| November | 87 | 139 | 507 |
| December | 209 | 60 | 338 |
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 2.6 km from Alice. 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 USC00410144 (Alice). Public domain.