Smackover climate

Smackover Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for El Dorado S Ar Rgnl AP, 18.1 km from Smackover, elevation 252 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for El Dorado S Ar Rgnl AP. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 5, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 9, first November 20

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 22Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 18
32°FApr 9Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10Mar 1
28°FMar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
24°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 10Feb 2Jan 25
20°FMar 5Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Jan 31Jan 28Jan 23Jan 15Jan 2
16°FFeb 18Feb 6Jan 31Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 13Jan 5Dec 26

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 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
32°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 26
28°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 9
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 9Dec 14Dec 24Jan 1
20°FNov 28Dec 6Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14Jan 24
16°FDec 14Dec 22Jan 1Jan 3Jan 9Jan 13Jan 18Jan 25Feb 5

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°F228219215210206201197192184
32°F255246240235230225220214207
28°F285274267261257252246239231
24°F325312303295289282274265253
20°F363348339333325316307301289
16°F365365365365361351344335322

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
92% of years
16°F or colder
56% 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
2,558
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,283
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,979
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,347
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,854
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,505
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,310

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January630362
February467692
March29325241
April11177420
May17234682
June0428877
July05411,006
August0522987
September7331774
October11298456
November35115178
December569581

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 18.1 km from Smackover. 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 USW00093992 (El Dorado S Ar Rgnl AP). Public domain.