McCurtain climate

McCurtain Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mc Curtain 1 Se, 0.7 km from McCurtain, elevation 655 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mc Curtain 1 Se. 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 23 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 228 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 5, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 23, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 9, 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 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23Mar 16
32°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 2
28°FMar 30Mar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18
24°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 11Jan 31
20°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 13
16°FMar 2Feb 20Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 16Jan 7Dec 30

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 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 12
32°FOct 21Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 26
28°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 5Nov 13Nov 20Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15Dec 25
20°FNov 23Nov 30Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 4Jan 12
16°FDec 4Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Dec 30Jan 4Jan 10Jan 15Jan 31

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°F232222216210206202195189180
32°F255246239232228222217212203
28°F283272266259254248243236225
24°F310301292286278272266258247
20°F342330321315308302295284273
16°F365360349341335328319309296

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
85% 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
2,902
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,205
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,658
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,079
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,633
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,337
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,198

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January712140
February523369
March34921206
April13475400
May25191631
June1394843
July05611,026
August05391,004
September12311748
October12491440
November37816173
December643252

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 0.7 km from McCurtain. 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 USC00345693 (Mc Curtain 1 Se). Public domain.