Cross Roads climate

Cross Roads Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Denton 2 Se, 10.2 km from Cross Roads, elevation 630 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Denton 2 Se. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 10
Median at 32°F
last March 13, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first December 1

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 16Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 8
32°FMar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24
28°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 15Feb 6
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 15Feb 9Feb 3Jan 27Jan 16
20°FMar 2Feb 21Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 10Dec 29
16°FFeb 21Feb 9Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 17Jan 10Jan 2Dec 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.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26
32°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8
28°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 22
24°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Dec 29Jan 4Jan 16
20°FDec 5Dec 12Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 23Feb 3
16°FDec 14Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 10Jan 16Jan 22Feb 1Feb 10

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°F252243237232227223217211201
32°F278267262256251247242235226
28°F307296288282276271265258250
24°F342330320313306301294285275
20°F365365353345335328321310300
16°F365365365365365358349338323

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
82% of years
16°F or colder
44% 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
2,477
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,646
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,445
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,800
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,280
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,912
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,698

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January623157
February466494
March29523241
April10683432
May17259707
June0483933
July06321,097
August06201,085
September5384829
October83136523
November31419211
December568371

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 10.2 km from Cross Roads. 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 USC00412404 (Denton 2 Se). Public domain.