Lecompte climate

Lecompte Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, 9.3 km from Lecompte, elevation 70 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn. 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 22, a growing season of about 267 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 16, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 1, first November 22
Median at 28°F
last February 10, 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 6Mar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 24
32°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 15Feb 1
28°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18Feb 10Feb 3Jan 29Jan 23Jan 10
24°FFeb 25Feb 11Feb 2Jan 30Jan 25Jan 19Jan 12Jan 4Dec 25
20°FFeb 6Jan 31Jan 25Jan 21Jan 15Jan 10Jan 6Dec 31Dec 24
16°F–––––––––

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 23Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 29
32°FNov 2Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 13
28°FNov 14Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14Dec 23Jan 1Jan 11
24°FNov 30Dec 8Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 19Feb 1
20°FDec 13Dec 25Jan 1Jan 2Jan 6Jan 10Jan 16Jan 23Feb 1
16°F–––––––––

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°F265255248242236231225220209
32°F300288280274267261255248237
28°F339327319310304295287277267
24°F365365358349342335329317306
20°F365365365365365365363352339
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
97% of years
24°F or colder
74% of years
20°F or colder
31% of years
16°F or colder
7% 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
1,869
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,605
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,909
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,181
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,556
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,072
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,752

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4896110
February34012154
March20637316
April71114494
May6303763
June0466916
July05491,014
August05501,015
September3383831
October66148549
November24526259
December44311136

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 9.3 km from Lecompte. 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 USC00165630 (Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn). Public domain.