Drumright Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cushing. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 217 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 11, first October 26
- Median at 32°F
- last April 1, first November 5
- Median at 28°F
- last March 20, first November 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 30 | Apr 24 | Apr 19 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 28 |
| 32°F | Apr 17 | Apr 10 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 13 |
| 28°F | Apr 6 | Apr 1 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 |
| 24°F | Mar 27 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 10 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 25 | Feb 18 |
| 20°F | Mar 16 | Mar 10 | Mar 6 | Mar 2 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 19 | Feb 13 | Feb 2 |
| 16°F | Mar 10 | Mar 4 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 5 | Jan 29 | Jan 17 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 11 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 32°F | Oct 20 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 28°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 |
| 24°F | Nov 5 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 20°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 |
| 16°F | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 5 | Jan 15 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 216 | 210 | 205 | 201 | 196 | 192 | 187 | 181 | 174 |
| 32°F | 240 | 232 | 227 | 222 | 217 | 213 | 208 | 203 | 195 |
| 28°F | 262 | 254 | 247 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 228 | 221 | 213 |
| 24°F | 286 | 277 | 271 | 266 | 261 | 255 | 250 | 243 | 233 |
| 20°F | 311 | 302 | 295 | 290 | 283 | 277 | 272 | 265 | 256 |
| 16°F | 340 | 328 | 320 | 313 | 306 | 301 | 295 | 287 | 276 |
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
- 99% 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
- 3,611
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 1,974
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 7,925
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,439
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,103
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 3,915
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 2,873
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 842 | 0 | 14 |
| February | 644 | 1 | 39 |
| March | 457 | 10 | 143 |
| April | 203 | 46 | 315 |
| May | 50 | 156 | 571 |
| June | 3 | 376 | 823 |
| July | 0 | 532 | 997 |
| August | 0 | 512 | 976 |
| September | 20 | 273 | 704 |
| October | 164 | 62 | 377 |
| November | 458 | 7 | 121 |
| December | 769 | 0 | 22 |
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 15.8 km from Drumright. 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 USC00342318 (Cushing). Public domain.