Parks climate

Parks Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for St Martinville 3 Sw, 14.7 km from Parks, elevation 30 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for St Martinville 3 Sw. 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 February 21 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 280 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 7, first November 14
Median at 32°F
last February 21, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last February 1, first December 14

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 1Mar 24Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 13
32°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 16Feb 8Jan 31Jan 22
28°FMar 4Feb 24Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 19Jan 12Dec 30
24°FFeb 20Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 19Jan 13Jan 7Dec 30Dec 18
20°FFeb 6Feb 1Jan 27Jan 20Jan 17Jan 12Jan 7Jan 2Dec 25
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°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 27Dec 4
32°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 15Dec 28
28°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 2Dec 7Dec 14Dec 23Jan 1Jan 9Jan 21
24°FDec 4Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1
20°FDec 22Dec 31Jan 2Jan 7Jan 11Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 2
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°F285272264258252246240233223
32°F319305295287280273266259248
28°F358342334328319311303293277
24°F365365365362354347338332317
20°F365365365365365365365363345
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
95% of years
24°F or colder
63% of years
20°F or colder
21% of years
16°F or colder
6% 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
1,549
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,619
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,226
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,470
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,797
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,247
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,846

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January42712149
February28718194
March15950368
April49125528
May5306766
June0447897
July0521986
August0521986
September1389838
October43170592
November19739311
December38120183

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 14.7 km from Parks. 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 USC00168181 (St Martinville 3 Sw). Public domain.