Canyon climate

Canyon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Canyon, 0.7 km from Canyon, elevation 3590 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Canyon. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 15, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 3, first November 3

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 8May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12
32°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31
28°FApr 21Apr 16Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18
24°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6
20°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22
16°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 15Feb 5

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 3Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28
32°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5
28°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17
24°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27
20°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20

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°F191185181177174169165160154
32°F213205200196192188184179172
28°F234227222217214209205199192
24°F257249244240235231226219210
20°F279272266261257252247241232
16°F308298290283278273267261253

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
4,007
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,603
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,221
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,783
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,506
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,392
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,427

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January85408
February690018
March505396
April25720250
May75137531
June2341789
July0458922
August1411876
September27199623
October21133314
November544173
December84209

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 0.7 km from Canyon. 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 USC00411430 (Canyon). Public domain.