Basin City climate

Basin City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Eltopia 8 Wsw, 21.7 km from Basin City, elevation 700 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Eltopia 8 Wsw. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 22, a growing season of about 182 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 9
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 22
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 21May 15May 11May 8May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 28Apr 23
32°FMay 6May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9Apr 3
28°FApr 18Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16Mar 8
24°FMar 29Mar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
20°FMar 12Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 15
16°FFeb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 23Jan 14Jan 6Dec 25

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 27Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 23
32°FOct 7Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 4
28°FOct 18Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 18
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 5Nov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14Dec 23
16°FNov 15Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 24Jan 1Jan 14

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°F173167162158155151146141135
32°F204197191186182178174169162
28°F242233226221215210205200192
24°F281270262256250244239232223
20°F321307299290283276269261250
16°F354341333325316308300290275

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
96% 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
5,309
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
543
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,055
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,767
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,688
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,793
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,073

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January98400
February75602
March617021
April407189
May19625299
June6765449
July10209663
August13197649
September10445392
October4151113
November74809
December99201

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 21.7 km from Basin City. 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 USC00452542 (Eltopia 8 Wsw). Public domain.