Winters climate

Winters Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Wingate, 16.8 km from Winters, elevation 2012 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wingate. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 12

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 25Apr 20Apr 17Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30
32°FApr 20Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 14
28°FApr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3
24°FMar 30Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17
20°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 28
16°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 16Feb 7Feb 2Jan 30Jan 22Jan 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 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
32°FOct 23Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 12Nov 18
28°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Dec 1
24°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10
20°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 28
16°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 11Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 10Jan 23

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°F218210204200197192188182175
32°F242232227221217211207201194
28°F264255250245239234228222214
24°F288279272267262256251243233
20°F320308301293287282275268258
16°F355344336330323315306298286

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
2,863
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,118
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,599
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,008
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,554
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,249
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,102

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January698031
February513271
March33513204
April13068399
May25230670
June0407856
July0519984
August0501966
September9289731
October11583442
November3836159
December656041

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 16.8 km from Winters. 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 USC00419847 (Wingate). Public domain.