Clyde Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Abilene 6ESE. 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 1 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 218 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last April 12, first October 29
- Median at 32°F
- last April 1, first November 5
- Median at 28°F
- last March 15, first November 16
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 28 | Apr 22 | Apr 18 | Apr 14 | Apr 12 | Apr 8 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 26 |
| 32°F | Apr 19 | Apr 13 | Apr 7 | Apr 4 | Apr 1 | Mar 28 | Mar 23 | Mar 17 | Mar 10 |
| 28°F | Apr 5 | Mar 31 | Mar 24 | Mar 20 | Mar 15 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 26 |
| 24°F | Mar 24 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 7 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 25 | Feb 18 | Feb 10 |
| 20°F | Mar 11 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 23 | Feb 16 | Feb 10 | Feb 4 | Jan 28 | Jan 17 |
| 16°F | Mar 1 | Feb 20 | Feb 9 | Feb 3 | Jan 29 | Jan 23 | Jan 15 | Jan 4 | Dec 24 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 13 | Oct 18 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 |
| 32°F | Oct 21 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 22 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 4 |
| 24°F | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| 20°F | Nov 21 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 23 | Dec 31 | Jan 8 |
| 16°F | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 220 | 213 | 208 | 204 | 199 | 195 | 190 | 184 | 177 |
| 32°F | 245 | 235 | 228 | 223 | 218 | 214 | 209 | 202 | 194 |
| 28°F | 271 | 261 | 254 | 249 | 243 | 238 | 233 | 226 | 217 |
| 24°F | 298 | 287 | 280 | 275 | 270 | 264 | 258 | 251 | 240 |
| 20°F | 335 | 322 | 314 | 307 | 300 | 293 | 286 | 278 | 268 |
| 16°F | 365 | 361 | 350 | 341 | 334 | 326 | 317 | 308 | 297 |
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
- 99% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 84% 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
- 2,719
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,281
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 8,885
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,278
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,801
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,474
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,297
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 652 | 1 | 48 |
| February | 488 | 4 | 90 |
| March | 331 | 18 | 218 |
| April | 133 | 82 | 412 |
| May | 29 | 244 | 681 |
| June | 0 | 430 | 880 |
| July | 0 | 544 | 1,009 |
| August | 0 | 528 | 993 |
| September | 8 | 310 | 751 |
| October | 108 | 107 | 474 |
| November | 351 | 12 | 183 |
| December | 619 | 1 | 60 |
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 13.3 km from Clyde. 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 USC00410013 (Abilene 6ESE). Public domain.