Comanche climate

Comanche Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Proctor Rsvr, 12.7 km from Comanche, elevation 1221 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Proctor Rsvr. 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 18, a growing season of about 249 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first December 2

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 17Apr 10Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15Mar 8
32°FApr 3Mar 29Mar 23Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23
28°FMar 21Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 6
24°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 16
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 14Jan 6Dec 28
16°FFeb 22Feb 9Feb 2Jan 27Jan 18Jan 12Jan 5Dec 30Dec 18

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 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
32°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
28°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 26
24°FNov 26Dec 3Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 8Jan 17
20°FDec 10Dec 16Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 17Jan 28Feb 6
16°FDec 15Dec 23Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 17Jan 25Feb 2Feb 12

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°F249240234228222216212204197
32°F277268262255249244238231220
28°F306295288282277271265258246
24°F341329322315308302294286276
20°F365365357348339331324315303
16°F365365365365365365358346329

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
75% of years
16°F or colder
34% 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
2,205
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,689
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,716
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,042
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,486
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,066
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,797

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January575271
February4186117
March24838293
April86110479
May14282733
June0485934
July06051,069
August06031,068
September5382826
October74146542
November26628256
December518498

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 12.7 km from Comanche. 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 USC00417300 (Proctor Rsvr). Public domain.