Blanding climate

Blanding Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Blanding, 1.3 km from Blanding, elevation 6032 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Blanding. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 11, first October 10
Median at 32°F
last April 28, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 14, first November 1

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°FMay 28May 21May 17May 14May 11May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 26
32°FMay 16May 8May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 13
28°FMay 1Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 24
24°FApr 16Apr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 28Mar 20Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2
20°FMar 30Mar 20Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 12
16°FMar 8Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 16Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 22

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°FSep 29Oct 2Oct 5Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 24
32°FOct 6Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 6
28°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17
24°FOct 24Oct 31Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 26
20°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 7
16°FNov 15Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 14Dec 20

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°F173165160155151147143138128
32°F197189183179174169166159150
28°F224216210205201196190184177
24°F258248240233228223216210203
20°F289279271265260254248239227
16°F319309301295289284277270263

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
100% 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
5,450
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
877
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,422
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,216
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,166
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,264
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,505

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,05600
February82701
March665020
April453192
May20630309
June27181605
July1325789
August3255718
September6983467
October3702154
November728013
December1,04800

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 1.3 km from Blanding. 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 USC00420738 (Blanding). Public domain.