Trego County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wakeeney. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around October 18, a growing season of about 175 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 3, first October 9
- Median at 32°F
- last April 23, first October 18
- Median at 28°F
- last April 13, first October 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 16 | May 10 | May 7 | May 5 | May 3 | May 1 | Apr 29 | Apr 24 | Apr 19 |
| 32°F | May 7 | May 2 | Apr 30 | Apr 26 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 9 |
| 28°F | Apr 29 | Apr 24 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 13 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 |
| 24°F | Apr 20 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 17 |
| 20°F | Apr 11 | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 10 | Mar 5 |
| 16°F | Apr 3 | Mar 28 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 11 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 22 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 25 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 2 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 30 |
| 28°F | Oct 13 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 24°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 20°F | Oct 28 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 |
| 16°F | Nov 3 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 175 | 169 | 165 | 161 | 158 | 154 | 150 | 145 | 137 |
| 32°F | 196 | 189 | 184 | 180 | 175 | 172 | 167 | 162 | 153 |
| 28°F | 215 | 208 | 203 | 199 | 195 | 191 | 186 | 181 | 175 |
| 24°F | 236 | 227 | 222 | 218 | 214 | 209 | 204 | 199 | 192 |
| 20°F | 257 | 249 | 242 | 237 | 232 | 227 | 221 | 215 | 208 |
| 16°F | 279 | 271 | 264 | 258 | 252 | 247 | 241 | 235 | 225 |
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
- 5,380
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,374
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,248
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,997
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,892
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,920
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,083
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,090 | 0 | 1 |
| February | 893 | 0 | 8 |
| March | 686 | 1 | 55 |
| April | 399 | 11 | 157 |
| May | 155 | 82 | 405 |
| June | 16 | 284 | 719 |
| July | 2 | 442 | 905 |
| August | 3 | 367 | 829 |
| September | 67 | 164 | 551 |
| October | 337 | 22 | 220 |
| November | 698 | 0 | 41 |
| December | 1,035 | 0 | 2 |
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 11.2 km from Trego 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 USC00148495 (Wakeeney). Public domain.