Anahuac climate

Anahuac Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Anahuac, 5 km from Anahuac, elevation 24 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Anahuac. 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 February 12 and the first fall freeze around December 6, a growing season of about 302 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 28, first November 24
Median at 32°F
last February 12, first December 6
Median at 28°F
last January 25, first December 31

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°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 3
32°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 10
28°FFeb 27Feb 14Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 20Jan 12Jan 1Dec 19
24°FFeb 15Feb 6Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 12Jan 6Jan 1Dec 18
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 13
32°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21Dec 30Jan 7
28°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 14Dec 23Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 18Feb 1
24°FDec 9Dec 21Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 22Jan 30Feb 8
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F303289281275269262255247237
32°F338327316308302294286277265
28°F365365357349341334326316301
24°F365365365365365365363351338
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
98% of years
28°F or colder
77% of years
24°F or colder
31% of years
20°F or colder
6% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,394
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,771
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,522
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,748
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,049
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,465
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,030

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4009153
February26015210
March14152383
April42126534
May3310772
June0472922
July05551,020
August05561,021
September1410859
October27198636
November16752350
December35216187

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 5 km from Anahuac. 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 USC00410235 (Anahuac). Public domain.