Grandfield climate

Grandfield Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Grandfield 3W Mesonet, 5.7 km from Grandfield, elevation 1122 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Grandfield 3W Mesonet. 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 31 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 219 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 18, 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 26
32°FApr 18Apr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17Mar 10
28°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
24°FMar 28Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 9
20°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 30Jan 21
16°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 15Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 10Dec 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 17Oct 21Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
32°FOct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
28°FOct 28Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
24°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15
20°FNov 16Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 26Jan 4
16°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22Dec 31Jan 6Jan 18Feb 1

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°F220213208202198194188184177
32°F245235229224219215210203196
28°F268260254249243237231225215
24°F296286279272267262255248238
20°F333319309301294288280272261
16°F365357344335327319310301289

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
88% 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
3,104
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,457
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,731
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,173
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,762
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,510
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,408

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January738022
February552264
March37613176
April16556354
May33238670
June0487937
July06231,088
August05891,053
September8341783
October133100443
November4098138
December690033

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 5.7 km from Grandfield. 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 USC00343707 (Grandfield 3W Mesonet). Public domain.