Gail climate

Gail Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gail, 1 km from Gail, elevation 2530 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gail. 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 8, a growing season of about 226 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 8
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 19

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 24Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 20
32°FApr 15Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 12Mar 6
28°FApr 2Mar 26Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21
24°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 2
20°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 9Feb 3Jan 28Jan 19Jan 7
16°FFeb 26Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 17Jan 9Dec 31Dec 21

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 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12
32°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 5
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 23
20°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 27Jan 4Jan 16
16°FDec 3Dec 10Dec 17Dec 23Dec 29Jan 5Jan 13Jan 23Feb 1

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°F226218213209205201196190183
32°F252242236231226221215209202
28°F279269262257251247241232224
24°F309298289282276271266259250
20°F346332325316310304296286274
16°F365365360351343335328317305

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
75% 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
2,611
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,217
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,897
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,267
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,764
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,412
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,227

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January631050
February457494
March29224245
April11092439
May24261702
June0431880
July0524989
August0504969
September12279717
October11191455
November3658169
December609055

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 1 km from Gail. 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 USC00413411 (Gail). Public domain.