DeRidder climate

DeRidder Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for De Ridder, 0.4 km from DeRidder, elevation 190 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for De Ridder. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 269 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 18, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last March 1, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last February 12, first December 7

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 9Apr 3Mar 30Mar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 3Feb 25
32°FMar 25Mar 16Mar 10Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 21Feb 14Feb 2
28°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4Jan 30Jan 24Jan 12
24°FFeb 28Feb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 16Jan 6Dec 26
20°FFeb 8Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 19Jan 12Jan 7Dec 31Dec 22
16°FFeb 1Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 9Jan 5Jan 3Dec 30

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 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30
32°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 13
28°FNov 18Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20Dec 30Jan 8
24°FDec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 22Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 29
20°FDec 12Dec 22Dec 30Jan 1Jan 6Jan 10Jan 15Jan 22Feb 1
16°FDec 28Jan 2Jan 4Jan 7Jan 10Jan 16Jan 20Jan 27Feb 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°F268259253246240235229223212
32°F301290281274269263256248237
28°F336327317310302296288279268
24°F365365353345338333326315302
20°F365365365365365365357348334
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
99% of years
24°F or colder
81% of years
20°F or colder
42% of years
16°F or colder
12% 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
1,793
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,610
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,986
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,255
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,625
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,127
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,783

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4787117
February33213162
March18648346
April64117504
May7295753
June0462912
July0532997
August05391,004
September2392840
October56160570
November23334278
December43613143

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 0.4 km from DeRidder. 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 USC00162367 (De Ridder). Public domain.