Texas County climate

Texas County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Houston, 0.3 km from Texas County, elevation 1224 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Houston. 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 April 10 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 194 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 10, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 3

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°FMay 13May 7May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 13Apr 6
32°FMay 1Apr 24Apr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25
28°FApr 15Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 29Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13
24°FApr 5Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1
20°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 14Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15
16°FMar 14Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 9Feb 1

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°FSep 28Oct 3Oct 6Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24
32°FOct 6Oct 13Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 5
28°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 15Nov 23
24°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5
20°FNov 8Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 18
16°FNov 22Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 15Dec 20Dec 26Jan 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°F192184178173169164160155146
32°F217209203198194188184178170
28°F245235230224218214209203193
24°F269260254249243238233227218
20°F294285277273266261256250241
16°F318308301295289283278270262

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
4,532
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,256
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,562
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,206
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,001
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,942
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,026

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January97907
February766020
March589585
April28527238
May10396461
June11248687
July1370834
August4332793
September60149540
October28228253
November572270
December879013

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 0.3 km from Texas County. 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 USC00234019 (Houston). Public domain.