Bangs Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brownwood 2ENE. 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 7, first November 21
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 | Apr 22 | Apr 17 | Apr 11 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 29 | Mar 23 | Mar 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 9 | Apr 4 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 3 |
| 28°F | Mar 28 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 11 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 |
| 24°F | Mar 13 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 17 | Feb 11 | Feb 6 | Jan 28 |
| 20°F | Mar 3 | Feb 23 | Feb 14 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 30 | Jan 25 | Jan 17 | Dec 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 13 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 22 | Jan 17 | Jan 9 | Dec 31 | Dec 20 |
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 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 |
| 32°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 28 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 |
| 24°F | Nov 13 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 31 |
| 20°F | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 23 |
| 16°F | Dec 6 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 23 | Feb 1 |
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 | 234 | 225 | 219 | 213 | 209 | 205 | 200 | 195 | 186 |
| 32°F | 258 | 250 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 228 | 223 | 217 | 208 |
| 28°F | 284 | 275 | 269 | 263 | 258 | 252 | 248 | 242 | 233 |
| 24°F | 318 | 306 | 298 | 291 | 284 | 278 | 271 | 264 | 254 |
| 20°F | 357 | 341 | 334 | 327 | 319 | 311 | 303 | 296 | 284 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 355 | 346 | 339 | 333 | 321 |
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
- 93% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 63% 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
- 2,352
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,608
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,508
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,843
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,304
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,918
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,682
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 602 | 1 | 58 |
| February | 432 | 5 | 105 |
| March | 266 | 27 | 266 |
| April | 96 | 99 | 459 |
| May | 15 | 277 | 727 |
| June | 0 | 477 | 927 |
| July | 0 | 600 | 1,065 |
| August | 0 | 598 | 1,063 |
| September | 5 | 366 | 811 |
| October | 84 | 137 | 524 |
| November | 306 | 19 | 220 |
| December | 548 | 2 | 80 |
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 17.8 km from Bangs. 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 USC00411138 (Brownwood 2ENE). Public domain.