Loraine climate

Loraine Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Colorado City, 13.9 km from Loraine, elevation 2110 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Colorado 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 4 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 18, 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 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 3Mar 26
32°FApr 22Apr 17Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 13
28°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 31Mar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2
24°FMar 27Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15
20°FMar 11Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 6Jan 28
16°FMar 2Feb 23Feb 17Feb 12Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 14Dec 31

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 14Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
32°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 10Nov 13Nov 19
28°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1
24°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9
20°FNov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 11Dec 16Dec 24
16°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 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°F217210204199195191187183177
32°F240232225220216210205199193
28°F262254248242237232226219210
24°F285277272267263257252246236
20°F314303295289285280274268259
16°F355342331324315308303296282

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
94% 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
2,803
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,336
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,840
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,243
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,784
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,475
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,327

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January680026
February516365
March31817222
April12380416
May17273721
June0449898
July05801,044
August0530995
September9306747
October10294463
November3886151
December649037

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 13.9 km from Loraine. 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 USC00411903 (Colorado City). Public domain.