Upton County climate

Upton County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Crane, 30.2 km from Upton County, elevation 2554 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Crane. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 25

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 23Apr 16Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 19Mar 10
32°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26
28°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13
24°FMar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 23Feb 20Feb 15Feb 8Feb 1Jan 22
20°FFeb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 4Jan 30Jan 19Jan 10Dec 28
16°FFeb 20Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 23Jan 13Jan 5Dec 27Dec 14

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

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°F245235228222217211206200191
32°F270261255249243238233226214
28°F293283277272268263258251242
24°F327313304297290285279272263
20°F363346335328321313306297286
16°F365365365363352342333324310

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
91% of years
16°F or colder
60% 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
2,256
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,745
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,726
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,051
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,499
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,092
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,842

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January586053
February4214106
March22639308
April68135520
May13347800
June0532982
July05951,060
August05861,051
September8344786
October68143547
November29920226
December569160

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 30.2 km from Upton County. 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 USC00412082 (Crane). Public domain.