Bunkie climate

Bunkie Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Bunkie, 0.8 km from Bunkie, elevation 80 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Bunkie. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 24, a growing season of about 270 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 16, first November 11
Median at 32°F
last February 28, first November 24
Median at 28°F
last February 7, first December 12

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 7Apr 1Mar 26Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Feb 28Feb 24
32°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 9Jan 31
28°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 9
24°FFeb 27Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 25Jan 21Jan 14Jan 7Dec 27
20°FFeb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 15Jan 10Jan 5Dec 28
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°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Dec 1
32°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 18
28°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 27Jan 3Jan 11
24°FDec 2Dec 13Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 7Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1
20°FDec 21Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 10Jan 15Jan 19Jan 28Feb 2
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°F270261252246241236230224214
32°F301292284278270263256249240
28°F341330321313305297289280268
24°F365365362352344335329318304
20°F365365365365365365365354335
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
98% of years
24°F or colder
76% of years
20°F or colder
33% of years
16°F or colder
8% 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
1,799
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,650
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,028
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,298
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,669
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,174
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,826

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4817120
February33912160
March18948343
April58128520
May6312772
June0466916
July05501,015
August05441,009
September2383831
October59155563
November23831273
December42613147

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 0.8 km from Bunkie. 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 USC00161287 (Bunkie). Public domain.