Gilbert climate

Gilbert Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Winnsboro 5 Sse, 7 km from Gilbert, elevation 80 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Winnsboro 5 Sse. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 250 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 10, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last February 26, 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 11Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 10Mar 4
32°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 17
28°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Jan 28
24°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 21Feb 12Feb 4Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 5
20°FFeb 25Feb 10Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 14Jan 5Dec 27
16°FFeb 10Jan 31Jan 27Jan 23Jan 18Jan 11Jan 6Jan 1Dec 26

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 22Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 5
28°FNov 9Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 3Dec 9Dec 19Jan 1
24°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 8Dec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 24
20°FDec 10Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 16Jan 22Feb 4
16°FDec 24Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 15Jan 20Jan 27Feb 2

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°F249240234229224220214209201
32°F279268262256250245239232224
28°F315304295286280274267260250
24°F356341333325316308302294281
20°F365365365362353344338329314
16°F365365365365365365365362344

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
59% of years
16°F or colder
22% 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
2,154
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,587
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,648
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,964
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,400
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,974
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,699

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January557490
February4018125
March24935287
April89110475
May10295750
June0465915
July05611,026
August05491,014
September3381828
October80140529
November28028240
December48410122

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 7 km from Gilbert. 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 USC00169806 (Winnsboro 5 Sse). Public domain.