Booker climate

Booker Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Perryton, 26.6 km from Booker, elevation 2942 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Perryton. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 197 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 25, first October 20
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last April 1, first November 7

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°FMay 7May 3Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11
32°FApr 29Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 19Mar 12
24°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2
20°FMar 29Mar 21Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18
16°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 16Feb 10Jan 30

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 5Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 3
32°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
28°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 3
20°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13
16°FNov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 21Dec 30

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°F197191185180176173169165159
32°F217211206201197193189183177
28°F242232226222218213208202195
24°F266258251245240234229222215
20°F288278272267263258251245234
16°F314302294288283277271265255

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
100% 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
3,957
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,848
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,506
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,064
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,782
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,657
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,684

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January86207
February688022
March4965108
April25227259
May72142537
June3377823
July0525990
August1466930
September23255683
October20448331
November523483
December834010

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 26.6 km from Booker. 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 USC00416950 (Perryton). Public domain.