Brady climate

Brady Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Brady, 1.7 km from Brady, elevation 1711 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Brady. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 27

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 18Apr 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 7
32°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 26Mar 19Mar 14Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 24Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16Feb 7
24°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 4Jan 28Jan 19
20°FMar 1Feb 18Feb 10Feb 4Jan 29Jan 21Jan 15Jan 5Dec 25
16°FFeb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 19Jan 12Jan 4Dec 29Dec 16

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 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 16Nov 22
32°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19
24°FNov 17Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 16Dec 23Dec 31Jan 11
20°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 14Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 8Jan 18Feb 3
16°FDec 10Dec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 14Jan 21Jan 31Feb 7

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°F247238231225219214208202195
32°F271262254249244239233225213
28°F298289282275269263257250240
24°F336325316306299294286278268
20°F365362350342334327319307296
16°F365365365365365363351342327

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
83% of years
16°F or colder
42% 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
2,231
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,420
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,429
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,748
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,188
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,772
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,512

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January564276
February4097121
March24932284
April9398459
May15266716
June0438888
July05431,008
August05471,012
September6336780
October81127517
November29122233
December524395

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 1.7 km from Brady. 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 USC00411017 (Brady). Public domain.