Escalante climate

Escalante Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Escalante, 0.4 km from Escalante, elevation 5810 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Escalante. 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 May 8 and the first fall freeze around October 10, a growing season of about 155 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 20, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last May 8, first October 10
Median at 28°F
last April 22, first October 20

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°FJun 1May 30May 26May 23May 20May 17May 14May 10May 5
32°FMay 24May 19May 15May 11May 8May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 22
28°FMay 12May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 6
24°FApr 22Apr 16Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 19Mar 13
20°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 21Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 22
16°FMar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 21Feb 17Feb 12Feb 6

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 19Sep 23Sep 26Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 9Oct 14
32°FSep 26Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 16Oct 20Oct 24
28°FOct 5Oct 10Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Nov 1Nov 4
24°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
20°FOct 25Nov 1Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24
16°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 22Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 6

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°F151145140135132128123119113
32°F176168163159155151146141133
28°F203194189185180176170165157
24°F235226219214208203198192184
20°F264256250245240235230224215
16°F291284279274270265260254246

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
5,507
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
749
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,233
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,019
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,971
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,084
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,345

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,05600
February82200
March662016
April446083
May21418283
June34141557
July1301766
August3230691
September7758432
October3871135
November74707
December1,05900

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 0.4 km from Escalante. 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 USC00422592 (Escalante). Public domain.