Woodsboro climate

Woodsboro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Refugio 3 Sw, 6.3 km from Woodsboro, elevation 54 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Refugio 3 Sw. 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 February 15 and the first fall freeze around December 5, a growing season of about 295 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 3, first November 22
Median at 32°F
last February 15, first December 5
Median at 28°F
last January 26, first December 21

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°FMar 23Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 6
32°FMar 12Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 12
28°FMar 3Feb 21Feb 10Feb 3Jan 26Jan 16Jan 9Dec 31Dec 19
24°FFeb 21Feb 5Jan 25Jan 15Jan 9Jan 4Dec 31Dec 24Dec 12
20°FFeb 3Jan 21Jan 11Jan 8Jan 5Jan 1Dec 28Dec 22Dec 14
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
32°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 23Jan 3
28°FNov 25Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 28Jan 3Jan 12Feb 1
24°FDec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 22Feb 8
20°FDec 12Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 8Jan 10Jan 19Feb 3
16°F–––––––––

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°F299285277271265259253248238
32°F337323312304295287279271260
28°F365363351342335327316305291
24°F365365365365365364354342327
20°F365365365365365365365365362
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
84% of years
24°F or colder
44% of years
20°F or colder
10% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,148
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,249
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,242
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,451
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,719
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,086
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,586

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January33917201
February22036265
March11584440
April27187611
May1370834
June0517967
July05841,049
August06071,072
September0474924
October17261708
November12881412
December30130236

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 6.3 km from Woodsboro. 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 USC00417530 (Refugio 3 Sw). Public domain.