Buda climate

Buda Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Austin Bergstrom AP, 18.9 km from Buda, elevation 480 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Austin Bergstrom AP. 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 16, a growing season of about 252 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last February 27, first December 1

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 16Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 4
32°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20
28°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 23Feb 16Feb 6Jan 28
24°FMar 8Mar 2Feb 22Feb 14Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 14Jan 3
20°FFeb 23Feb 10Feb 1Jan 26Jan 20Jan 12Jan 6Jan 1Dec 24
16°FFeb 10Jan 31Jan 22Jan 16Jan 10Jan 8Jan 4Jan 2Dec 28

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 25Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 13Nov 17Nov 25
32°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 5
28°FNov 10Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 25
24°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 5Jan 15
20°FDec 7Dec 15Dec 23Dec 29Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 19Feb 2
16°FDec 22Jan 1Jan 2Jan 4Jan 8Jan 11Jan 17Jan 23Feb 4

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°F251243236231226222216209202
32°F279269262257252245239231223
28°F312302292284277272265258248
24°F352340333323314306297287276
20°F365365365364354345338329311
16°F365365365365365365365365348

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
68% of years
16°F or colder
26% 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
1,718
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,996
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,440
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,694
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,053
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,546
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,190

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4708115
February32120177
March18461359
April52145544
May4345806
June0517967
July06061,071
August06141,079
September1423871
October44195616
November21948304
December42314144

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 18.9 km from Buda. 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 USW00013904 (Austin Bergstrom AP). Public domain.