Beaver climate

Beaver Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Beckley Raleigh CO AP, 4.3 km from Beaver, elevation 2514 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Beckley Raleigh CO AP. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around October 21, a growing season of about 180 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 22, first October 21
Median at 28°F
last April 9, first October 31

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 21May 16May 12May 8May 5May 2Apr 28Apr 23Apr 18
32°FMay 13May 6May 1Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8
28°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25
24°FApr 14Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 11
20°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 4Feb 27
16°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 10

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 29Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23
32°FOct 8Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 2
28°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
24°FOct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 22Nov 28
20°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
16°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 27

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°F177170165161157154149144136
32°F200193187183180176170164156
28°F224216212207203199195188179
24°F250242237232227222217212205
20°F275265258253248242238232224
16°F302289282277271266259252243

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
5,060
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
665
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,623
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,320
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,173
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,176
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,334

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,01509
February829013
March690256
April35813182
May16247361
June31129548
July6209668
August9179635
September8576443
October34310191
November632152
December901015

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 4.3 km from Beaver. 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 USW00003872 (Beckley Raleigh CO AP). Public domain.