Warden Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lind 3 Ne. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 4, a growing season of about 150 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 23, first September 22
- Median at 32°F
- last May 7, first October 4
- Median at 28°F
- last April 23, first October 17
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 11 | Jun 4 | May 31 | May 27 | May 23 | May 20 | May 16 | May 12 | May 6 |
| 32°F | May 21 | May 16 | May 13 | May 10 | May 7 | May 4 | May 1 | Apr 28 | Apr 22 |
| 28°F | May 11 | May 5 | May 1 | Apr 27 | Apr 23 | Apr 18 | Apr 12 | Apr 5 | Mar 28 |
| 24°F | Apr 26 | Apr 14 | Apr 4 | Mar 30 | Mar 24 | Mar 16 | Mar 10 | Mar 3 | Feb 21 |
| 20°F | Mar 19 | Mar 10 | Mar 2 | Feb 27 | Feb 21 | Feb 15 | Feb 8 | Feb 2 | Jan 21 |
| 16°F | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Feb 1 | Jan 26 | Jan 17 | Jan 8 | Dec 30 |
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 | Sep 5 | Sep 10 | Sep 14 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 6 |
| 32°F | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 20 |
| 28°F | Oct 2 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 | Nov 4 |
| 24°F | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 20 |
| 20°F | Oct 23 | Oct 29 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 8 |
| 16°F | Nov 1 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 28 |
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 | 144 | 136 | 130 | 125 | 120 | 114 | 110 | 105 | 95 |
| 32°F | 173 | 164 | 159 | 154 | 150 | 146 | 141 | 137 | 128 |
| 28°F | 209 | 200 | 193 | 186 | 180 | 174 | 168 | 161 | 154 |
| 24°F | 258 | 245 | 236 | 229 | 222 | 214 | 206 | 198 | 184 |
| 20°F | 304 | 292 | 283 | 275 | 266 | 259 | 252 | 244 | 231 |
| 16°F | 341 | 327 | 317 | 310 | 302 | 295 | 287 | 277 | 264 |
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
- 98% 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
- 5,736
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 590
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 4,821
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 3,604
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 2,590
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 1,752
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,084
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,018 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 795 | 0 | 2 |
| March | 667 | 0 | 14 |
| April | 460 | 1 | 74 |
| May | 245 | 20 | 255 |
| June | 97 | 66 | 419 |
| July | 16 | 230 | 679 |
| August | 19 | 211 | 657 |
| September | 130 | 61 | 385 |
| October | 457 | 2 | 98 |
| November | 786 | 0 | 8 |
| December | 1,046 | 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 36.2 km from Warden. 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 USC00454679 (Lind 3 Ne). Public domain.