Kiowa climate

Kiowa Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kiowa, 0.4 km from Kiowa, elevation 1325 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kiowa. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around October 31, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 20, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 8, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 8

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 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 5
32°FApr 24Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 30Mar 23
28°FApr 13Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 20Mar 14Mar 8
24°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28
20°FMar 25Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15
16°FMar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 9Jan 30

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 12Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13
28°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
20°FNov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17
16°FNov 17Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 2

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°F204197193188184180176172165
32°F226218213208204200195189183
28°F247239234229225221216211204
24°F271262256251246240236229222
20°F293284277271267262256250242
16°F322308302295290283276269259

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
4,426
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,842
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,243
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,879
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,667
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,596
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,657

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96602
February784015
March569486
April28025239
May90143522
June2367816
July1530993
August0477942
September25244669
October22250322
November578260
December91002

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 0.4 km from Kiowa. 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 USC00144341 (Kiowa). Public domain.