Henefer Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Echo Dam. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around September 18, a growing season of about 112 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last June 15, first September 8
- Median at 32°F
- last May 30, first September 18
- Median at 28°F
- last May 10, first October 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jun 30 | Jun 24 | Jun 21 | Jun 18 | Jun 15 | Jun 12 | Jun 8 | Jun 4 | May 31 |
| 32°F | Jun 16 | Jun 10 | Jun 5 | Jun 1 | May 30 | May 26 | May 22 | May 17 | May 11 |
| 28°F | May 31 | May 24 | May 18 | May 14 | May 10 | May 7 | May 4 | Apr 30 | Apr 25 |
| 24°F | May 13 | May 7 | May 3 | Apr 30 | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 18 | Apr 13 | Apr 8 |
| 20°F | Apr 27 | Apr 20 | Apr 16 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 17 |
| 16°F | Apr 12 | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 3 |
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 | Aug 23 | Aug 31 | Sep 2 | Sep 6 | Sep 8 | Sep 11 | Sep 14 | Sep 18 | Sep 22 |
| 32°F | Sep 4 | Sep 9 | Sep 13 | Sep 15 | Sep 18 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 |
| 28°F | Sep 17 | Sep 21 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 14 |
| 24°F | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 |
| 20°F | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 16°F | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
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 | 103 | 96 | 92 | 87 | 83 | 79 | 75 | 69 | 62 |
| 32°F | 132 | 124 | 120 | 116 | 112 | 106 | 101 | 96 | 88 |
| 28°F | 161 | 155 | 150 | 145 | 141 | 136 | 131 | 124 | 116 |
| 24°F | 191 | 184 | 178 | 173 | 169 | 164 | 159 | 153 | 144 |
| 20°F | 222 | 212 | 206 | 202 | 196 | 193 | 188 | 182 | 173 |
| 16°F | 249 | 240 | 234 | 230 | 224 | 219 | 213 | 207 | 198 |
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
- 7,108
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 348
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 4,050
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,984
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,091
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,362
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 778
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,282 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1,028 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 826 | 0 | 3 |
| April | 599 | 0 | 28 |
| May | 360 | 2 | 152 |
| June | 126 | 38 | 366 |
| July | 14 | 164 | 615 |
| August | 22 | 125 | 567 |
| September | 182 | 19 | 297 |
| October | 536 | 0 | 59 |
| November | 890 | 0 | 3 |
| December | 1,243 | 0 | 0 |
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 7.9 km from Henefer. 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 USC00422385 (Echo Dam). Public domain.