Ballinger climate

Ballinger Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ballinger 2 Nw, 2.8 km from Ballinger, elevation 1755 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ballinger 2 Nw. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 233 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 22, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 8, first November 22

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 22Apr 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 22Mar 14
32°FApr 12Apr 5Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2
28°FMar 30Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 18
24°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31
20°FMar 5Feb 28Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 27Jan 19Jan 6
16°FFeb 23Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 24Jan 19Jan 11Jan 3Dec 23

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 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 22Nov 28
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 2Dec 8
24°FNov 16Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 27
20°FNov 26Dec 1Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 26Jan 1Jan 8Jan 22
16°FDec 7Dec 15Dec 21Dec 29Jan 4Jan 10Jan 18Jan 27Feb 5

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°F234226219214209205201195186
32°F258249243238233229221216207
28°F284275267263257252247240230
24°F312301293287281275269262254
20°F353339331323315308301292279
16°F365365365357349340333324310

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
68% 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
2,453
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,476
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,295
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,648
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,130
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,755
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,534

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January617153
February448499
March27624258
April97101462
May18275723
June0461910
July05741,038
August05611,026
September7341784
October89120503
November32214205
December579168

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 2.8 km from Ballinger. 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 USC00410493 (Ballinger 2 Nw). Public domain.