Webster Parish climate

Webster Parish Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Minden, 12.7 km from Webster Parish, elevation 185 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Minden. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 241 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 17, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 27

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 21Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19Mar 12
32°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26
28°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 4
24°FMar 9Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 16
20°FMar 1Feb 16Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 21Jan 15Jan 7Dec 30
16°FFeb 19Feb 2Jan 31Jan 24Jan 18Jan 11Jan 7Jan 2Dec 28

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 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 19
32°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 29Dec 3
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 23
24°FNov 18Nov 27Dec 1Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 31Jan 5Jan 17
20°FDec 6Dec 18Dec 24Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 14Jan 21Feb 2
16°FDec 22Dec 30Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 11Jan 19Jan 28Feb 7

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°F242233225220216211205199191
32°F268258251246241235230223214
28°F302290282276269263257249241
24°F340330320311303298288278268
20°F365365359350342335328318303
16°F365365365365365365361350334

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
78% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,364
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,521
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,382
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,723
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,199
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,820
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,589

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January591473
February4407105
March27530259
April10588438
May15263713
June0459909
July05751,040
August05671,032
September5375820
October91124501
November31123214
December532795

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 12.7 km from Webster Parish. 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 USC00166244 (Minden). Public domain.