Dante climate

Dante Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Nora 4 Sse, 4.6 km from Dante, elevation 2658 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Nora 4 Sse. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 200 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 27, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 31, 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 15May 9May 5May 1Apr 27Apr 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9
32°FMay 5Apr 29Apr 22Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29
28°FApr 20Apr 12Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16
24°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4
20°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 19
16°FMar 22Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 19Feb 11Feb 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°FOct 12Oct 16Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2
32°FOct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25
24°FNov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8
20°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 16Dec 25
16°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22Dec 27Dec 31Jan 7

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°F198192187183179175170165157
32°F221214208204200196190185177
28°F245237231227223219214208200
24°F269261254248242237231226219
20°F294284277271265259252245237
16°F321308301295289283277270258

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
4,943
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
757
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,823
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,497
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,331
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,322
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,460

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,01308
February823014
March685153
April36310177
May15647368
June16143577
July5220680
August4212673
September66105490
October30718226
November620152
December885014

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 4.6 km from Dante. 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 USC00446125 (Nora 4 Sse). Public domain.