Ripon climate

Ripon Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ripon 5 Ne, 8.8 km from Ripon, elevation 930 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ripon 5 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 1 and the first fall freeze around October 11, a growing season of about 163 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 11, first October 1
Median at 32°F
last May 1, first October 11
Median at 28°F
last April 19, first October 24

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 24May 20May 17May 14May 11May 9May 6May 3Apr 29
32°FMay 14May 9May 6May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 16
28°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5
24°FApr 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 3Mar 31Mar 24
20°FApr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15
16°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7

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 19Sep 23Sep 26Sep 29Oct 1Oct 4Oct 6Oct 10Oct 13
32°FSep 26Oct 1Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 26
28°FOct 8Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
24°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 18
20°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 19Nov 22Nov 27
16°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6

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°F160153149146142138134130123
32°F182175170167163159155149142
28°F206199194191187182177173165
24°F230223218213209205201196188
20°F248242237233229225221215208
16°F265258254249245241237232225

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
7,706
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
480
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,311
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,294
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,409
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,638
Growing degree days, base 60°F
984

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,48000
February1,26700
March1,058112
April629048
May29021229
June60103494
July16171620
August27132570
September16447343
October522488
November89705
December1,29700

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 8.8 km from Ripon. 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 USC00477209 (Ripon 5 Ne). Public domain.