Pend Oreille County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Priest Rvr 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 May 20 and the first fall freeze around September 13, a growing season of about 114 days.
- Median at 32°F
- last May 20, first September 13
- Median at 28°F
- last May 4, first September 28
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 32°F | Jun 4 | May 30 | May 27 | May 24 | May 20 | May 17 | May 14 | May 11 | May 6 |
| 28°F | May 17 | May 13 | May 10 | May 7 | May 4 | Apr 30 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 19 |
| 24°F | May 3 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 18 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 26 |
| 20°F | Apr 13 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 14 | Mar 10 | Mar 8 | Mar 5 | Mar 2 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 32°F | Sep 1 | Sep 3 | Sep 7 | Sep 9 | Sep 13 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 30 |
| 28°F | Sep 12 | Sep 17 | Sep 21 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 13 |
| 24°F | Sep 26 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 25 | Nov 1 |
| 20°F | Oct 6 | Oct 13 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 | Nov 14 | Nov 21 |
| 16°F | Oct 21 | Oct 29 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 8 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 99 | 90 | 85 | 79 | 74 | 68 | 62 | 55 | 45 |
| 32°F | 137 | 129 | 125 | 119 | 114 | 110 | 105 | 99 | 92 |
| 28°F | 168 | 160 | 155 | 150 | 146 | 142 | 138 | 133 | 125 |
| 24°F | 208 | 199 | 191 | 186 | 180 | 175 | 169 | 164 | 154 |
| 20°F | 247 | 239 | 232 | 226 | 220 | 213 | 207 | 200 | 189 |
| 16°F | 278 | 269 | 261 | 254 | 249 | 245 | 239 | 231 | 220 |
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
- 7,538
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 157
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 3,307
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,354
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 1,559
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 913
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 442
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,180 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 997 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 891 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 632 | 0 | 17 |
| May | 363 | 2 | 145 |
| June | 199 | 15 | 270 |
| July | 64 | 77 | 477 |
| August | 79 | 59 | 445 |
| September | 292 | 5 | 187 |
| October | 680 | 0 | 17 |
| November | 968 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 1,193 | 0 | 0 |
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 38.1 km from Pend Oreille County. 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 USC00107386 (Priest Rvr Exp Stn). Public domain.