Dickens climate

Dickens Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Spur, 16.3 km from Dickens, elevation 2297 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Spur. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 209 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 12

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 30Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 2
32°FApr 24Apr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 18
28°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25Mar 21Mar 15Mar 9Mar 4
24°FApr 1Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21
20°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Feb 3
16°FMar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 9Feb 4Jan 30Jan 21Jan 6

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 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
28°FOct 28Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 27
24°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 7Jan 22

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°F209203198193189186182176169
32°F233224217213209205200195187
28°F257248242237231225220214206
24°F281270265261255250244236226
20°F309299293287281275269262251
16°F351339329321314306299289278

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
95% 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
3,266
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,972
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,133
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,591
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,201
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,966
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,893

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January742023
February577150
March39711168
April17949339
May42202626
June1399847
July0510975
August0484948
September20249680
October15363390
November4415127
December713028

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 16.3 km from Dickens. 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 USC00418566 (Spur). Public domain.