Quilcene climate

Quilcene Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Quilcene 2 Sw, 3.1 km from Quilcene, elevation 123 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Quilcene 2 Sw. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 199 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 2, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first November 15

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

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 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 8Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22Oct 28
32°FOct 13Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 15
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 30Dec 7
24°FNov 10Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 11Dec 19Dec 28Jan 10
20°FNov 23Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 16Feb 3
16°FNov 29Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 22Dec 29Jan 4Jan 16Feb 4

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°F181175170165161157153148141
32°F227218210204199193188183173
28°F290275267259252246240231220
24°F347334322313304296286276262
20°F365365365357346336330319306
16°F365365365365365365365350335

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
67% of years
16°F or colder
29% 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
5,372
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
112
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,158
Growing degree days, base 45°F
2,821
Growing degree days, base 50°F
1,769
Growing degree days, base 55°F
965
Growing degree days, base 60°F
408

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January81101
February68302
March634012
April479051
May3081173
June18612277
July6748446
August7042437
September1758284
October445077
November67508
December84001

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 3.1 km from Quilcene. 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 USC00456846 (Quilcene 2 Sw). Public domain.