Burnet climate

Burnet Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Burnet, 0.6 km from Burnet, elevation 1285 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Burnet. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 25

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 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15Mar 8
32°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 25Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 19Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 16Feb 6
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 26Jan 13
20°FFeb 27Feb 16Feb 7Jan 31Jan 25Jan 16Jan 8Dec 31Dec 20
16°FFeb 13Feb 4Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 8Jan 3Dec 29Dec 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Dec 2
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 16
24°FNov 16Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 22Dec 30Jan 10
20°FNov 28Dec 6Dec 14Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 17Feb 1
16°FDec 12Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 10Jan 20Jan 27Feb 6

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°F243234228221215211206200192
32°F272262254249243238232224213
28°F302290280274268263256249241
24°F337325316306301292283274263
20°F365363352345337329321309298
16°F365365365365365365358347333

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
81% of years
16°F or colder
37% 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
2,262
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,405
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,374
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,693
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,137
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,728
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,482

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January575267
February4115112
March25327274
April9090455
May14262713
June0437886
July05471,012
August05471,012
September6339783
October87127510
November29722230
December531284

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 0.6 km from Burnet. 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 USC00411250 (Burnet). Public domain.