Brooks County climate

Brooks County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Quitman 2 Nw, 6.6 km from Brooks County, elevation 185 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Quitman 2 Nw. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 26, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 11, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 23, first December 5

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 18Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 4
32°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 16
28°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 7Jan 30
24°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 17Feb 11Feb 7Feb 2Jan 30Jan 19Jan 4
20°FFeb 20Feb 13Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 8Dec 31
16°FFeb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 10Jan 3

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 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
32°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 8
28°FNov 13Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 27Jan 4
24°FNov 30Dec 5Dec 11Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15Jan 31
20°FDec 13Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 15Jan 23Feb 1Feb 9
16°FJan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 18Jan 24Jan 29Feb 2Feb 13

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°F253244238232227222217211203
32°F284273265259253248243236226
28°F324310302294288280273264252
24°F359342334327319313306298286
20°F365365365359349340334326314
16°F365365365365365365365356337

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
93% of years
20°F or colder
64% of years
16°F or colder
26% 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
1,747
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,354
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,773
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,027
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,378
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,865
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,514

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4764114
February3207158
March18438335
April70100481
May9266722
June0435885
July0487952
August0480945
September2351799
October54144557
November22634280
December4079150

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 6.6 km from Brooks County. 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 USC00097276 (Quitman 2 Nw). Public domain.