Wink climate

Wink Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Winkler CO AP, 5.1 km from Wink, elevation 2807 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Winkler CO AP. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 16

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 25Apr 20Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 23
32°FApr 16Apr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7
28°FApr 1Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22
24°FMar 18Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 10Feb 3
20°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 21Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 8
16°FFeb 19Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Jan 4Dec 26Dec 12

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 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10
32°FOct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20
28°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Dec 1
24°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13
20°FNov 20Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 17Dec 24Jan 2
16°FNov 29Dec 6Dec 10Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30Jan 5Jan 15Jan 30

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°F220212207204200196192187179
32°F245237231226222217212206197
28°F273264258253249244239232224
24°F299289283278272267261255246
20°F339329319311304297289282270
16°F365365357349341334328319305

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
77% 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
2,456
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,666
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,443
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,788
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,273
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,913
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,715

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January626037
February429291
March24824272
April82112484
May13325777
June0549999
July06061,071
August05771,042
September8348791
October88114498
November3538169
December609043

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 5.1 km from Wink. 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 USW00023040 (Winkler CO AP). Public domain.