Okay climate

Okay Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Muskogee, 8.2 km from Okay, elevation 518 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Muskogee. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 208 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 26, first November 8

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

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

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°F209202196191187182179173166
32°F232223217212208203199193185
28°F257247241236231225221215207
24°F277269263258252247242236228
20°F303293285279274269263256247
16°F334322313307300294286278268

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
3,598
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,979
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,939
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,460
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,125
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,931
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,885

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January853017
February648138
March44113151
April19845319
May46170590
June2375823
July05351,000
August0504969
September19265696
October17164375
November4637118
December759131

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 8.2 km from Okay. 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 USC00346130 (Muskogee). Public domain.