Idabel climate

Idabel Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Idabel, 4.2 km from Idabel, elevation 365 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Idabel. 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 3, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 12, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 13, first November 13

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

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°F218210204200196191186182175
32°F245237231226221215210204196
28°F272264257252246241236228219
24°F305293285278273267261254245
20°F340328319311305297289280269
16°F365359349341334329322312299

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
2,948
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,026
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,406
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,815
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,376
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,099
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,981

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January717131
February525361
March35012191
April15549353
May27190628
June1377826
July0521986
August0504969
September9287727
October13574411
November3918144
December638149

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 4.2 km from Idabel. 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 USC00344451 (Idabel). Public domain.