Channelview climate

Channelview Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Houston-Port, 16.3 km from Channelview, elevation 19 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Houston-Port. 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 February 2 and the first fall freeze around December 25, a growing season of about 327 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 24, first December 2
Median at 32°F
last February 2, first December 25
Median at 28°F
last January 23, first January 5

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°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 8Jan 31Jan 22
32°FMar 5Feb 28Feb 18Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Dec 31
28°FFeb 25Feb 11Feb 2Jan 27Jan 23Jan 17Jan 11Jan 2Dec 24
24°FFeb 16Feb 3Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 11Jan 7Jan 3Dec 29
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 22Jan 1
32°FNov 27Dec 2Dec 8Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 21
28°FDec 8Dec 19Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 26Feb 9
24°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 10Jan 15Jan 22Feb 1Feb 14
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F326313304295287279272265256
32°F365352343336327319308299285
28°F365365365365364354345336323
24°F365365365365365365365365356
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
90% of years
28°F or colder
55% of years
24°F or colder
18% of years
20°F or colder
4% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,222
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,280
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,197
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,411
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,687
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,069
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,591

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January36511177
February22624244
March11669425
April27179602
May1379843
June0541991
July06201,085
August06371,102
September0474924
October24250692
November14972385
December31423217

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 16.3 km from Channelview. 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 USC00414326 (Houston-Port). Public domain.