Wayne Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pauls Valley 4 Wsw. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 210 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 15, first October 23
- Median at 32°F
- last April 5, first November 1
- Median at 28°F
- last March 24, first November 9
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 1 | Apr 26 | Apr 22 | Apr 19 | Apr 15 | Apr 12 | Apr 9 | Apr 6 | Apr 1 |
| 32°F | Apr 21 | Apr 15 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 5 | Apr 2 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 19 |
| 28°F | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 28 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 16 | Mar 11 | Mar 4 |
| 24°F | Mar 30 | Mar 24 | Mar 19 | Mar 14 | Mar 11 | Mar 6 | Mar 3 | Feb 27 | Feb 22 |
| 20°F | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 12 | Feb 3 |
| 16°F | Mar 11 | Mar 3 | Feb 26 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Feb 8 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 17 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 8 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 32°F | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 16 |
| 28°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 |
| 20°F | Nov 10 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 24 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 | Jan 4 | Jan 16 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 210 | 203 | 198 | 194 | 190 | 185 | 180 | 175 | 169 |
| 32°F | 233 | 226 | 220 | 215 | 210 | 206 | 201 | 196 | 189 |
| 28°F | 258 | 248 | 242 | 237 | 232 | 227 | 222 | 216 | 208 |
| 24°F | 281 | 273 | 266 | 260 | 254 | 249 | 243 | 236 | 226 |
| 20°F | 311 | 299 | 291 | 284 | 278 | 273 | 267 | 258 | 249 |
| 16°F | 343 | 331 | 322 | 314 | 307 | 301 | 295 | 286 | 275 |
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
- 98% 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
- 3,334
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,095
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,222
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 6,707
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,333
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,105
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,023
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 791 | 0 | 21 |
| February | 599 | 1 | 48 |
| March | 420 | 11 | 158 |
| April | 175 | 47 | 337 |
| May | 36 | 177 | 606 |
| June | 1 | 400 | 849 |
| July | 0 | 550 | 1,015 |
| August | 0 | 533 | 998 |
| September | 16 | 293 | 728 |
| October | 147 | 74 | 404 |
| November | 425 | 8 | 137 |
| December | 726 | 1 | 33 |
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 21.6 km from Wayne. 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 USC00346926 (Pauls Valley 4 Wsw). Public domain.