Climate Parameters available in the Future Scenarios Tool
(Last updated January 3, 2007)
Agriculture-relevant temperature parameters
- Growing degree days (GDDs)
- Extreme temperature frequency
- Extreme temperature frequency with respect to heat accumulation
- Growing season statistics
Tourism-relevant temperature parameters
Wet day sequences (relevant for both agriculture and tourism)
Dry day sequences (relevant for both agriculture and tourism)
Agriculture-relevant temperature parameters:
- Growing degree days (GDDs):
- Base 39°F (appropriate for tart cherry growth and development)
- median number of GDDs per year
- median number of GDDs during the frost-free season
- median date that 216 GDDs is reached
- Base 41°F (appropriate for cool season crops such as small grains and some horticultural crops)
- median number of GDDs per year
- median number of GDDs during the frost-free season
- median date that 270 GDDs is reached
- median date that 540 GDDs is reached
- median number of GDDs on the date of last spring freeze
- median number of GDDs accumulated outside the growing season
- Base 50°F (appropriate for warm season crops)
- median number of GDDs per year
- median number of GDDs during the frost-free season
- median date that 270 GDDs is reached
- median date that 540 GDDs is reached
- median number of GDDs on the date of last spring freeze
- median number of GDDs accumulated outside the growing season
- Extreme temperature frequency:
- median number of days per year with minimum temperatures ≤-4°F
- median number of days per year with minimum temperatures ≤32°F
- median number of days per year with maximum temperatures ≤95°F
- Extreme temperature frequency with respect to heat accumulation:
- Base 39°F
- Frequency of minimum temperatures ≤32°F after 216 GDDs is reached
- Base 41°F
- Frequency of minimum temperatures ≤32°F after 270 GDDs is reached
- Base 50°F
- Frequency of minimum temperatures ≤32°F after 432 GDDs is reached
- Growing season statistics:
- median date of last spring freeze
- median date of first fall freeze
- median length of the growing season
- median date of the first occurrence of 77°F
Tourism-relevant temperature parameters:
- median number of cooling degree days (base 65°F)
- median number of days per year with minimum temperatures ≤-4°F
- median number of days per year with minimum temperatures ≤32°F
- median number of days per year with maximum temperatures ≥95°F
Wet day sequences (relevant for both agriculture and tourism):
- frequency by year, season and month of 2 wet days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of 3 wet days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of 4 wet days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of ³5 wet days in a row
Dry day sequences (relevant for both agriculture and tourism):
- frequency by year, season and month of 3 dry days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of 7 dry days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of 10 dry days in a row
- frequency by year, season and month of ≥14 dry days in a row