Lawton climate

Lawton Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lawton, 6.2 km from Lawton, elevation 1150 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lawton. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 225 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 16

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 24Apr 19Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 20
32°FApr 14Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 4
28°FApr 3Mar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22
24°FMar 19Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 8
20°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Jan 31Jan 22
16°FFeb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 8Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 13Dec 31

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 16Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
32°FOct 21Oct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
28°FOct 30Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 5
24°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 18
20°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 13Dec 18Dec 22Dec 28Jan 5
16°FDec 5Dec 11Dec 18Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 9Jan 19Feb 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°F228219214209204200195189182
32°F253244237231225220215209200
28°F277269263257252245240232221
24°F304292285280275270265258248
20°F333321312307300295289281272
16°F364352342334327320313305296

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
91% 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
3,280
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,236
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,380
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,851
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,471
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,245
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,172

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January786014
February600138
March39010171
April17240332
May32198631
June1422871
July05901,055
August05811,046
September15305740
October13380422
November4319130
December721021

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 6.2 km from Lawton. 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 USC00345063 (Lawton). Public domain.