Bountiful Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bountiful Bench. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 181 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 8, first October 14
- Median at 32°F
- last April 25, first October 24
- Median at 28°F
- last April 5, first November 4
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 31 | May 23 | May 17 | May 12 | May 8 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | May 14 | May 6 | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 25 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 | Apr 11 | Apr 5 |
| 28°F | Apr 28 | Apr 20 | Apr 15 | Apr 9 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 28 | Mar 19 | Mar 12 |
| 24°F | Apr 6 | Mar 31 | Mar 24 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 | Mar 10 | Mar 7 | Mar 2 | Feb 23 |
| 20°F | Mar 17 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 20 | Feb 16 | Feb 7 |
| 16°F | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 19 | Feb 15 | Feb 10 | Feb 6 | Feb 1 | Jan 20 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 30 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 |
| 32°F | Oct 9 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 |
| 28°F | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Oct 29 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 16°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 177 | 170 | 165 | 161 | 156 | 152 | 146 | 140 | 130 |
| 32°F | 203 | 196 | 189 | 185 | 181 | 176 | 171 | 166 | 158 |
| 28°F | 234 | 227 | 221 | 215 | 209 | 204 | 199 | 191 | 181 |
| 24°F | 266 | 257 | 251 | 245 | 239 | 234 | 227 | 221 | 211 |
| 20°F | 294 | 285 | 277 | 273 | 268 | 262 | 256 | 250 | 240 |
| 16°F | 320 | 309 | 303 | 296 | 290 | 284 | 278 | 272 | 262 |
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
- 5,937
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 928
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 5,217
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,054
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,057
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,214
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,510
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,104 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 871 | 0 | 2 |
| March | 704 | 0 | 23 |
| April | 511 | 3 | 78 |
| May | 261 | 30 | 264 |
| June | 72 | 145 | 526 |
| July | 4 | 359 | 820 |
| August | 7 | 298 | 756 |
| September | 103 | 88 | 442 |
| October | 430 | 5 | 131 |
| November | 783 | 0 | 15 |
| December | 1,088 | 0 | 1 |
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 2.6 km from Bountiful. 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 USC00420819 (Bountiful Bench). Public domain.