Choudrant climate

Choudrant Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ruston La Tech, 13 km from Choudrant, elevation 295 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ruston La Tech. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 248 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 11, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last February 24, 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 14Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 13Mar 6
32°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 18
28°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 12Feb 5Jan 29
24°FMar 6Feb 26Feb 15Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 25Jan 18Jan 7
20°FFeb 17Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 21Jan 16Jan 10Jan 4Dec 24
16°FFeb 4Jan 30Jan 25Jan 22Jan 17Jan 12Jan 8Jan 3Dec 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 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14Nov 21
32°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 17Dec 26
24°FNov 22Dec 1Dec 7Dec 15Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 16
20°FDec 7Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 14Jan 19Jan 30
16°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 11Jan 15Jan 18Jan 24Feb 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F247238232226221216211206196
32°F276267259253248243237231221
28°F314302294286280273267258249
24°F352340333326316308301292279
20°F365365365358351344339331316
16°F365365365365365365365355341

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
96% of years
20°F or colder
71% of years
16°F or colder
30% 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
2,337
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,300
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,197
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,531
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,991
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,600
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,362

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January587274
February4295106
March27124257
April10280431
May16236685
June0425874
July0527992
August0521986
September6347792
October92109487
November30019214
December535593

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 13 km from Choudrant. 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 USC00168067 (Ruston La Tech). Public domain.