Cooke County climate

Cooke County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gainesville 5 Ene, 14.3 km from Cooke County, elevation 870 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gainesville 5 Ene. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 242 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 19, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first November 28

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 21Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 12
32°FApr 6Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28
28°FMar 25Mar 17Mar 12Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17
24°FMar 13Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 14Feb 7Jan 28
20°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 2Jan 28Jan 20Jan 7
16°FFeb 28Feb 15Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 5Dec 23

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 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
32°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 2
28°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15
24°FNov 17Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 24Jan 1
20°FNov 29Dec 6Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 20
16°FDec 10Dec 17Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 15Jan 22Feb 5

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°F244234228223217213208202193
32°F267259252247242235230223214
28°F292283276270265260254248238
24°F321309302296291284278270261
20°F349337330323317308302294278
16°F365365363353345338331323306

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
96% of years
16°F or colder
74% 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
2,886
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,259
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,744
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,157
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,701
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,396
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,246

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January709037
February520377
March35115201
April14256375
May33189622
June1408858
July05631,028
August05671,032
September9335776
October111109472
November37013173
December641151

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 14.3 km from Cooke County. 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 USC00413420 (Gainesville 5 Ene). Public domain.