Gentry climate

Gentry Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gravette, 17.9 km from Gentry, elevation 1260 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gravette. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 7

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 5May 1Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 2
32°FApr 26Apr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 18
28°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 6
24°FApr 1Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22
20°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10
16°FMar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 19Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 23

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°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 2
32°FOct 15Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 12
28°FOct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 19Nov 25
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2Dec 7
20°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 20
16°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Dec 30Jan 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F205198192187182178173167160
32°F230221215209204200195189181
28°F254245238233228223218212202
24°F276269262256250246240233225
20°F301292285279274268261254246
16°F329316308302296290283274265

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
3,446
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,842
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,919
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,413
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,044
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,821
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,753

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January814025
February612152
March41414169
April17951341
May51160574
June2350798
July0491956
August0464928
September24243669
October17361368
November4497128
December729137

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 17.9 km from Gentry. 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 USC00032930 (Gravette). Public domain.