Coushatta climate

Coushatta Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ashland, 24.8 km from Coushatta, elevation 240 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ashland. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first November 19

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 27Apr 21Apr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27Mar 18
32°FApr 16Apr 7Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 7Feb 28
28°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 10
24°FMar 16Mar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12Feb 4Jan 30Jan 20
20°FMar 5Feb 25Feb 13Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 21Feb 8Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 7Jan 2Dec 25

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 13Oct 19Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 12
32°FOct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 27
28°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 11
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 25Jan 3
20°FNov 26Dec 5Dec 12Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15Feb 1
16°FDec 8Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 28Feb 5

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°F230220213207202197192186178
32°F258249243235229223217209201
28°F291279271264258252247238227
24°F330316308300292284277267255
20°F365356345339333324315305291
16°F365365365365365357346337321

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
87% of years
16°F or colder
52% 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
2,406
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,203
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,027
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,369
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,845
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,473
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,252

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January594472
February4346106
March27626256
April11879416
May19225671
June0399849
July0504969
August0504969
September7328771
October105105470
November31218207
December540690

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 24.8 km from Coushatta. 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 USC00160349 (Ashland). Public domain.