Buras climate

Buras Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Buras, 1.4 km from Buras, elevation 5 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Buras. 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 January 25 and the first fall freeze around January 4, a growing season of about 346 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 5, first December 25
Median at 32°F
last January 25, first January 4
Median at 28°F
last January 17, first January 9

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°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 19Feb 11Feb 5Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 12
32°FFeb 21Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 7Dec 31
28°FFeb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 17Jan 12Jan 8Jan 2Dec 28
24°FFeb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 10Jan 6Jan 3Jan 1
20°F–––––––––
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°FDec 2Dec 8Dec 14Dec 19Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 17
32°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 19Jan 29
28°FDec 23Dec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 13Jan 17Jan 22Feb 1
24°FDec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 8Jan 13Jan 15Jan 19Jan 28Feb 1
20°F–––––––––
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°F348338330324316308301293281
32°F365365361353346340334328312
28°F365365365365365365360349339
24°F365365365365365365365365365
20°F365365365365365365365365365
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
98% of years
32°F or colder
76% of years
28°F or colder
37% of years
24°F or colder
11% of years
20°F or colder
0% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,054
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,995
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,073
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,271
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,513
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,845
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,329

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January3398185
February20219248
March11761415
April25159584
May1340804
June0484934
July05641,029
August05531,018
September0451901
October13252704
November10581429
December25222260

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 1.4 km from Buras. 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 USC00161292 (Buras). Public domain.