Webb Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Headland. 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 March 5 and the first fall freeze around November 24, a growing season of about 264 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 21, first November 11
- Median at 32°F
- last March 5, first November 24
- Median at 28°F
- last February 19, first December 9
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 7 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 | Mar 26 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Feb 28 |
| 32°F | Mar 25 | Mar 19 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 19 | Feb 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 13 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 2 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 22 | Jan 14 | Jan 2 |
| 20°F | Feb 18 | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 23 | Jan 18 | Jan 11 | Jan 5 | Dec 28 |
| 16°F | Feb 11 | Feb 4 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 21 | Jan 14 | Jan 8 | Jan 4 | Dec 28 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Dec 1 |
| 32°F | Nov 6 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 18 |
| 28°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 | Jan 10 |
| 24°F | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 11 | Jan 19 | Jan 30 |
| 20°F | Dec 17 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 21 | Jan 27 | Feb 4 |
| 16°F | Dec 23 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 7 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 263 | 253 | 247 | 241 | 236 | 230 | 223 | 216 | 209 |
| 32°F | 297 | 284 | 276 | 270 | 264 | 259 | 253 | 246 | 236 |
| 28°F | 334 | 320 | 312 | 305 | 298 | 291 | 282 | 274 | 262 |
| 24°F | 365 | 353 | 343 | 336 | 331 | 323 | 315 | 306 | 298 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 357 | 348 | 338 | 332 | 318 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 356 | 338 |
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
- 99% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 88% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 57% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 23% 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
- 1,818
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,517
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,877
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,143
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,512
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,021
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,683
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 490 | 5 | 114 |
| February | 343 | 8 | 149 |
| March | 203 | 42 | 326 |
| April | 69 | 107 | 489 |
| May | 6 | 307 | 766 |
| June | 0 | 456 | 906 |
| July | 0 | 533 | 998 |
| August | 0 | 501 | 966 |
| September | 1 | 371 | 820 |
| October | 56 | 146 | 557 |
| November | 230 | 32 | 276 |
| December | 419 | 9 | 146 |
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 13 km from Webb. 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 USC00013761 (Headland). Public domain.