Sheboygan climate

Sheboygan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sheboygan, 0.2 km from Sheboygan, elevation 648 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sheboygan. 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 25 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 179 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 25, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 13, first November 1

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 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 22
32°FMay 11May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11
28°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31
24°FApr 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20
20°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10
16°FMar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3

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 30Oct 4Oct 6Oct 9Oct 11Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 23
32°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2
28°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
24°FNov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26
20°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7
16°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16

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°F176170166161157154150146139
32°F199192188183179175172167159
28°F221214209205202198194190184
24°F245237231226222219214210204
20°F263256251246241237232226219
16°F281273267263259254250244237

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
6,919
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
603
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,532
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,466
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,543
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,766
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,120

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,31700
February1,11200
March95505
April631132
May33412176
June8689454
July7232690
August9195651
September11071414
October4445111
November786010
December1,13001

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 0.2 km from Sheboygan. 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 USC00477725 (Sheboygan). Public domain.