Lake Shore climate

Lake Shore Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Spanish Fk Pwr House, 11.6 km from Lake Shore, elevation 4720 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Spanish Fk Pwr House. 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 18, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 11, first October 6
Median at 32°F
last April 25, first October 18
Median at 28°F
last April 9, first October 30

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 31May 24May 19May 14May 11May 7May 4Apr 30Apr 26
32°FMay 13May 5May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10
28°FApr 25Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 20
24°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5
20°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18
16°FMar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 26Feb 23Feb 19Feb 14Feb 8Feb 2

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 22Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 16Oct 20
32°FOct 4Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27Nov 1
28°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
24°FOct 24Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24
20°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3
16°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13

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°F168160155150146141137131122
32°F195189184179174169165160151
28°F225216210206201197193187181
24°F253246239235230225220213205
20°F278270264259254249242236227
16°F304294288282277272266260253

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
5,415
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,013
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,676
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,430
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,347
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,421
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,648

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,08000
February82902
March631033
April4212111
May19337321
June41176586
July1376840
August2318781
September6999483
October3575170
November723021
December1,06800

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 11.6 km from Lake Shore. 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 USC00428119 (Spanish Fk Pwr House). Public domain.