Bastrop County climate

Bastrop County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Smithville, 17.7 km from Bastrop County, elevation 317 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Smithville. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 19, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 26, first December 3

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 13Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 23Mar 17Mar 11Mar 3
32°FApr 11Apr 5Mar 29Mar 19Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 18
28°FMar 29Mar 14Mar 7Mar 1Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 2Jan 24
24°FMar 11Mar 1Feb 21Feb 11Feb 1Jan 27Jan 18Jan 7Dec 25
20°FFeb 25Feb 7Jan 31Jan 23Jan 17Jan 9Jan 4Dec 29Dec 17
16°FJan 31Jan 20Jan 13Jan 10Jan 5Jan 3Dec 31Dec 25Dec 18

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 24Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21Nov 29
32°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 11
28°FNov 11Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 23Jan 3
24°FNov 27Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15Dec 23Jan 1Jan 4Jan 11Feb 1
20°FDec 6Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 26Feb 10
16°FDec 17Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 3Jan 6Jan 12Jan 17Jan 31

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°F257245238231225218211205194
32°F288276266260251244238229218
28°F328313303293285277269257243
24°F365355344336328317306296280
20°F365365365365365358349339324
16°F365365365365365365365365359

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
87% of years
20°F or colder
50% of years
16°F or colder
14% 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
1,691
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,999
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,474
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,732
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,084
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,570
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,202

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4518126
February31515177
March18058362
April57146540
May7337795
June0507957
July06001,065
August06201,085
September2438886
October51201617
November20955321
December41915153

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 17.7 km from Bastrop County. 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 USC00418415 (Smithville). Public domain.