Garden City climate

Garden City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Garden City, 0.3 km from Garden City, elevation 2655 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Garden City. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 215 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 26
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 14

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

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 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
32°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 19
28°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1
24°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11
20°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 17Dec 22Dec 30
16°FNov 30Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 8Jan 21Feb 3

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°F215208202198193189185180173
32°F237230224219215211206200192
28°F261254247242238233228221213
24°F285277271267261256251245235
20°F322310301295289282275269259
16°F365353343335328320309301290

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
88% 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
2,801
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,188
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,684
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,075
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,619
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,318
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,179

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January670032
February492165
March32614211
April13474403
May17269718
June0435885
July05391,004
August0490955
September14272708
October11685444
November3877158
December645137

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 0.3 km from Garden City. 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 USC00413445 (Garden City). Public domain.