Frost dates for Caribou
The typical last spring frost in Caribou is May 7, and the typical first fall frost is Oct 1. These dates come from Caribou Weather Forecast Office, and the growing season between them is 143 days.
NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal (c20230404), USW00014607
This season's measured frost
At Caribou Weather Forecast Office, the first freeze this fall came on Sep 23 with a low of 32F, 8 days earlier than the typical date of Oct 1.
In 2026, the last spring freeze at Caribou Weather Forecast Office was on May 30 with a low of 32F, 23 days later than the typical date of May 7.
Readings come from official daily lows in the daily climate report of the National Weather Service, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
Early, typical and late years for Caribou
| Year type | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| Early year (1 in 10) | Apr 27 | Sep 17 |
| Typical year | May 7 | Oct 1 |
| Late year (1 in 10) | May 24 | Oct 14 |
For spring, an early year means 1 year in 10 has a last freeze before the early date, and a late year means 1 year in 10 has a last freeze after the late date. For fall, an early year means 1 year in 10 has a first freeze by the early date, and a late year means it holds off past the late date.
The growing season in a typical year is 143 days, with the shortest at 124 days and the longest at 160 days in 1 year in 10.
Frost and freeze thresholds
| Last spring frost | First fall frost | |
|---|---|---|
| Light frost (36F) | May 24 | Sep 19 |
| Freeze (32F) | May 7 | Oct 1 |
| Hard freeze (28F) | Apr 26 | Oct 12 |
Clear, calm nights can see frost on plants at a low of 36F. A low of 32F is a freeze, and most tender plants are killed at 28F, a hard freeze.
More weather for Caribou
A typical date is the median: half of years have an earlier last spring frost, half a later one. An early year means 1 year in 10, and a late year means 1 year in 10. Dates come from the U.S. Climate Normals for 1991-2020, published by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, using a daily low of 32F or below as a freeze.
The daily climate report is issued by the local National Weather Service forecast office and delivered to this page by the Iowa Environmental Mesonet of Iowa State University. Under 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright attaches to the government-produced figures on this page, including reports, alerts, station observations, and normals, which were created by the National Weather Service and other NOAA offices. The notice that 17 U.S.C. 403 requires appears in this sentence. It does not imply endorsement by or affiliation with those agencies. See: Data sources and attribution.