Roslyn Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cle Elum. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around September 25, a growing season of about 132 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last June 1, first September 11
- Median at 32°F
- last May 13, first September 25
- Median at 28°F
- last April 28, first October 5
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 | Jun 19 | Jun 12 | Jun 8 | Jun 4 | Jun 1 | May 29 | May 24 | May 19 | May 13 |
| 32°F | Jun 1 | May 26 | May 20 | May 16 | May 13 | May 10 | May 6 | May 2 | Apr 29 |
| 28°F | May 14 | May 8 | May 3 | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 24 | Apr 21 | Apr 17 | Apr 12 |
| 24°F | Apr 27 | Apr 20 | Apr 13 | Apr 9 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 14 |
| 20°F | Apr 1 | Mar 25 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 20 |
| 16°F | Mar 14 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 20 | Feb 15 | Feb 7 | Jan 26 |
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 | Aug 31 | Sep 3 | Sep 6 | Sep 9 | Sep 11 | Sep 15 | Sep 18 | Sep 23 | Sep 27 |
| 32°F | Sep 11 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 7 |
| 28°F | Sep 20 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 23 |
| 24°F | Oct 2 | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 7 |
| 20°F | Oct 16 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 17 | Nov 23 | Dec 1 |
| 16°F | Oct 31 | Nov 5 | Nov 12 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 19 |
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 | 126 | 117 | 111 | 106 | 102 | 97 | 91 | 86 | 78 |
| 32°F | 152 | 146 | 141 | 136 | 132 | 127 | 123 | 117 | 110 |
| 28°F | 187 | 176 | 170 | 165 | 159 | 155 | 150 | 145 | 137 |
| 24°F | 228 | 218 | 210 | 204 | 198 | 192 | 185 | 178 | 168 |
| 20°F | 272 | 260 | 252 | 246 | 239 | 233 | 228 | 221 | 212 |
| 16°F | 309 | 297 | 287 | 278 | 272 | 266 | 259 | 252 | 242 |
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
- 6,991
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 250
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 3,620
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 2,594
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 1,759
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,084
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 578
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,128 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 920 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 826 | 0 | 1 |
| April | 597 | 0 | 23 |
| May | 368 | 4 | 142 |
| June | 195 | 25 | 284 |
| July | 54 | 113 | 524 |
| August | 55 | 93 | 504 |
| September | 231 | 15 | 245 |
| October | 594 | 0 | 36 |
| November | 887 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 1,138 | 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 7.1 km from Roslyn. 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 USC00451504 (Cle Elum). Public domain.