Gould climate

Gould Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Dumas, 11.1 km from Gould, elevation 163 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Dumas. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 245 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 27

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°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 23Mar 19Mar 13Mar 8
32°FMar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24
28°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 15Feb 3
24°FMar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 25Jan 13
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 8Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 16Jan 8Dec 31
16°FFeb 18Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 20Jan 16Jan 11Jan 6Dec 31

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 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 2
28°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20
24°FNov 21Nov 29Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19Dec 25Jan 1Jan 7Jan 20
20°FDec 9Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 24Feb 3
16°FDec 20Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 16Jan 21Jan 31Feb 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°F242236231226222218213208200
32°F268261255250245240236231223
28°F304293284277271265260254246
24°F340332324316308300293284273
20°F365365358349342335329320308
16°F365365365365365363353343332

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
79% of years
16°F or colder
44% 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
2,586
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,255
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,950
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,324
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,829
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,483
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,290

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January643254
February484485
March30722229
April10190443
May14250701
June0438888
July0522987
August0494959
September7312754
October103102468
November34817185
December578376

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 11.1 km from Gould. 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 USC00032148 (Dumas). Public domain.