Basile climate

Basile Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Eunice, 15.9 km from Basile, elevation 50 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Eunice. 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 February 26 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 276 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 11, first November 14
Median at 32°F
last February 26, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last February 5, first December 17

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 1Mar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19
32°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 4Jan 30
28°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 6
24°FFeb 26Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 25Jan 18Jan 11Jan 4Dec 25
20°FFeb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 18Jan 12Jan 8Jan 3Dec 30Dec 22
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 3
32°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 22
28°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 6Jan 17
24°FDec 7Dec 15Dec 22Dec 29Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 18Feb 2
20°FDec 17Dec 26Dec 31Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 26Feb 3
16°F–––––––––

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°F276265259254248242236230222
32°F308298289281276269263257247
28°F349338329320312305298288275
24°F365365365356349341334323310
20°F365365365365365365365357341
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
96% of years
24°F or colder
70% of years
20°F or colder
31% of years
16°F or colder
7% 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
1,710
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,718
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,176
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,439
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,796
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,282
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,917

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4767120
February31614174
March17548354
April60128519
May6320780
June0472922
July05461,011
August05551,020
September1402850
October51173589
November21440301
December41114157

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 15.9 km from Basile. 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 USC00162981 (Eunice). Public domain.