Buchanan climate

Buchanan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Buchanan, 0.3 km from Buchanan, elevation 880 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Buchanan. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 205 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 8, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 8

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 11May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8
32°FApr 23Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26
28°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 10
24°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25
20°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8
16°FMar 14Mar 5Feb 27Feb 21Feb 13Feb 8Feb 4Jan 30Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 2
32°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 21Dec 30
16°FDec 2Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22Dec 27Dec 31Jan 5Jan 13Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F200195190186182178174168161
32°F224216212208205201197191183
28°F249242236232228224220215208
24°F279269263258251246241235227
20°F310301293286280274268262251
16°F343333326318311306299289279

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
98% 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
4,271
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,223
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,585
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,205
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,986
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,919
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,997

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January91409
February73807
March591160
April26618234
May8594475
June7250693
July0369834
August1323787
September31151570
October24716253
November571155
December820010

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 0.3 km from Buchanan. 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 USC00441121 (Buchanan). Public domain.