Long Beach climate

Long Beach Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Long Beach Exp Stn, 2.1 km from Long Beach, elevation 25 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Long Beach Exp Stn. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 200 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 6
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 13

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 18May 11May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 15
32°FApr 28Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11Apr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 16
28°FMar 30Mar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28Feb 26Feb 20Feb 9
24°FMar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31Jan 21Jan 5Dec 16
20°FFeb 18Feb 9Jan 31Jan 20Jan 8Dec 31Dec 20Dec 10Dec 2
16°FFeb 12Jan 31Jan 13Jan 1Dec 23Dec 17Dec 10Dec 4Nov 29

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 4Oct 6Oct 10Oct 15Oct 20Oct 27
32°FOct 4Oct 13Oct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 2Nov 8Nov 16
28°FOct 22Oct 30Nov 3Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 25Dec 2Dec 15
24°FNov 3Nov 14Nov 23Nov 30Dec 5Dec 13Dec 23Jan 2Jan 24
20°FNov 18Nov 30Dec 5Dec 13Dec 20Dec 31Jan 7Jan 24Feb 9
16°FNov 28Dec 1Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20Dec 27Jan 5Jan 22Feb 9

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°F181172167162157153148140131
32°F233221213207200194188181170
28°F295279269261253246238228218
24°F356336327317309302292279263
20°F365365365365362347334323312
16°F365365365365365365365365356

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
58% of years
16°F or colder
18% 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
5,529
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
6
Growing degree days, base 40°F
3,739
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,249
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,140
Growing degree days, base 55°F
415
Growing degree days, base 60°F
70

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January70204
February61905
March62509
April522024
May403084
June2870165
July2021264
August1862281
September2453211
October436077
November590015
December71303

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 2.1 km from Long Beach. 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 USC00454748 (Long Beach Exp Stn). Public domain.