Bastrop climate

Bastrop Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bastrop, 5.2 km from Bastrop, elevation 150 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bastrop. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 241 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 26

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 15Apr 10Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 17Mar 11
32°FApr 3Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26
28°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 4
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 24Jan 15
20°FFeb 28Feb 13Feb 3Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 13Jan 6Dec 30
16°FFeb 13Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 17Jan 12Jan 8Jan 2Dec 28

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 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 18
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26Dec 2
28°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 20
24°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 28Jan 3Jan 13
20°FDec 3Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Feb 1
16°FDec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 8Jan 12Jan 16Jan 27Feb 4

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°F239231225220215211207201195
32°F270260252246241235229224215
28°F302291284277270263256250242
24°F340331320312306297289279267
20°F365365356348341334326316302
16°F365365365365365365358347333

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
79% of years
16°F or colder
38% 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
2,705
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,106
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,684
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,074
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,606
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,283
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,110

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January658255
February493382
March32320222
April13168394
May26212651
June0401850
July0498962
August0479944
September7313756
October11895448
November36512167
December585476

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 5.2 km from Bastrop. 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 USC00160537 (Bastrop). Public domain.