Inez Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Inez 2 E. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 186 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last May 2, first October 14
- Median at 32°F
- last April 20, first October 24
- Median at 28°F
- last April 5, first November 1
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 17 | May 12 | May 9 | May 6 | May 2 | Apr 29 | Apr 25 | Apr 21 | Apr 16 |
| 32°F | May 9 | May 2 | Apr 28 | Apr 23 | Apr 20 | Apr 17 | Apr 14 | Apr 9 | Apr 3 |
| 28°F | Apr 22 | Apr 16 | Apr 12 | Apr 7 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 22 |
| 24°F | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 30 | Mar 27 | Mar 23 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 9 |
| 20°F | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Mar 2 | Feb 21 |
| 16°F | Mar 18 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 2 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 |
| 32°F | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 28°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 |
| 24°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 28 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 18 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 6 |
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 | 186 | 180 | 175 | 169 | 165 | 161 | 156 | 152 | 145 |
| 32°F | 206 | 199 | 195 | 190 | 186 | 181 | 177 | 171 | 163 |
| 28°F | 227 | 220 | 216 | 212 | 208 | 204 | 200 | 195 | 187 |
| 24°F | 253 | 245 | 239 | 234 | 229 | 226 | 221 | 216 | 209 |
| 20°F | 289 | 277 | 269 | 263 | 257 | 251 | 245 | 239 | 230 |
| 16°F | 319 | 307 | 301 | 294 | 288 | 281 | 273 | 267 | 256 |
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
- 4,639
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,020
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 6,199
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 4,854
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 3,670
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 2,642
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 1,759
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 962 | 0 | 8 |
| February | 791 | 0 | 13 |
| March | 647 | 1 | 53 |
| April | 310 | 11 | 205 |
| May | 124 | 71 | 417 |
| June | 8 | 197 | 639 |
| July | 1 | 308 | 772 |
| August | 1 | 277 | 741 |
| September | 47 | 138 | 542 |
| October | 305 | 18 | 218 |
| November | 609 | 0 | 46 |
| December | 835 | 0 | 18 |
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 1.8 km from Inez. 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 USC00154138 (Inez 2 E). Public domain.