Electra climate

Electra Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake Kemp, 37 km from Electra, elevation 1167 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake Kemp. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first November 26

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 21Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 13
32°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Feb 28
28°FMar 26Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18
24°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Jan 31
20°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Jan 31Jan 25Jan 10
16°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 8Feb 3Jan 30Jan 25Jan 16Jan 3Dec 25

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 21Oct 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19
32°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1
28°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 13
24°FNov 17Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 21Dec 29
20°FNov 29Dec 6Dec 11Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 9Jan 21
16°FDec 8Dec 15Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 9Jan 17Jan 27Feb 5

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°F241232226220216212207200192
32°F263256250244238234229223214
28°F289280274267262257252245237
24°F317306299293286280274269259
20°F349335327320312305300293282
16°F365365362352343334327317305

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
74% 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
2,892
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,517
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,995
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,409
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,960
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,661
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,515

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January707033
February539266
March34419210
April13877400
May25252693
June1472921
July06221,086
August06001,065
September10344785
October107116483
November37013174
December651144

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 37 km from Electra. 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 USC00414982 (Lake Kemp). Public domain.