Campti Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Natchitoches #2. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 257 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 19, first November 7
- Median at 32°F
- last March 5, first November 17
- Median at 28°F
- last February 20, first December 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 | Apr 6 | Apr 2 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 19 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 | Feb 28 |
| 32°F | Mar 23 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 |
| 28°F | Mar 12 | Mar 5 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 20 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Jan 31 | Jan 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 1 | Feb 20 | Feb 12 | Feb 4 | Jan 31 | Jan 28 | Jan 22 | Jan 14 | Jan 2 |
| 20°F | Feb 14 | Feb 3 | Jan 31 | Jan 26 | Jan 20 | Jan 15 | Jan 9 | Jan 2 | Dec 23 |
| 16°F | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 23 | Jan 19 | Jan 13 | Jan 8 | Jan 5 | Jan 1 | Dec 23 |
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 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 |
| 32°F | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 28°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Jan 1 |
| 24°F | Nov 21 | Nov 30 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 11 | Jan 21 |
| 20°F | Dec 4 | Dec 15 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 | Feb 2 |
| 16°F | Dec 18 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 21 | Feb 1 |
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 | 259 | 250 | 244 | 239 | 235 | 230 | 225 | 219 | 212 |
| 32°F | 285 | 275 | 268 | 263 | 257 | 252 | 247 | 241 | 233 |
| 28°F | 323 | 310 | 302 | 293 | 284 | 277 | 271 | 262 | 252 |
| 24°F | 360 | 346 | 337 | 331 | 323 | 314 | 305 | 297 | 286 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 359 | 350 | 338 | 332 | 320 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 364 | 345 |
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
- 99% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 92% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 58% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 21% 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
- 2,022
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,609
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,779
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,076
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,487
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,036
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,737
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 526 | 5 | 98 |
| February | 376 | 13 | 147 |
| March | 229 | 43 | 308 |
| April | 68 | 114 | 499 |
| May | 11 | 285 | 739 |
| June | 0 | 463 | 913 |
| July | 0 | 564 | 1,029 |
| August | 0 | 562 | 1,027 |
| September | 1 | 389 | 838 |
| October | 73 | 134 | 527 |
| November | 269 | 28 | 243 |
| December | 470 | 8 | 119 |
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 9.4 km from Campti. 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 USC00166584 (Natchitoches #2). Public domain.