Rosebud climate

Rosebud Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cameron, 25.3 km from Rosebud, elevation 364 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cameron. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around November 23, a growing season of about 261 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 18, first November 11
Median at 32°F
last March 6, first November 23
Median at 28°F
last February 23, first December 6

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 8Apr 1Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 27
32°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 20Feb 7
28°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 17Feb 8Jan 30Jan 21
24°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 16Dec 31
20°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 7Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 14Jan 7Dec 27
16°FFeb 17Feb 4Jan 31Jan 28Jan 21Jan 18Jan 14Jan 8Jan 3

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 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
32°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 20
28°FNov 12Nov 21Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 23Jan 1Jan 10
24°FNov 26Dec 3Dec 10Dec 19Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 16Feb 3
20°FDec 7Dec 16Dec 28Jan 2Jan 5Jan 9Jan 17Jan 30Feb 11
16°FJan 1Jan 3Jan 5Jan 8Jan 12Jan 17Jan 20Feb 1Feb 11

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°F263253247241237232226219210
32°F297284275268261255248241231
28°F335319308300292284276267255
24°F365354343334326316308300286
20°F365365365365356345337328314
16°F365365365365365365365356339

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
98% of years
24°F or colder
87% of years
20°F or colder
59% of years
16°F or colder
27% 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
1,709
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,820
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,285
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,547
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,901
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,385
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,020

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4786116
February31120184
March17753359
April59136529
May6313772
June0489939
July05661,031
August05811,046
September1415864
October50179596
November21247310
December41416156

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 25.3 km from Rosebud. 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 USC00411348 (Cameron). Public domain.