Baird climate

Baird Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Putnam, 19.2 km from Baird, elevation 1621 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Putnam. 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 March 27 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 225 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 16

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

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°F227219212208204199195189183
32°F249241236231225220215210201
28°F273264257253247242237230221
24°F303292284278272267260253245
20°F339328318310304296290281271
16°F365363352342333327318307296

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
81% 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
2,606
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,454
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,170
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,550
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,055
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,701
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,499

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January632161
February480597
March30926243
April12093434
May26250690
June1444894
July05801,045
August05721,037
September10338779
October104125496
November33618207
December591275

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 19.2 km from Baird. 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 USC00417327 (Putnam). Public domain.