Cushing climate

Cushing Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rusk, 28.6 km from Cushing, elevation 695 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rusk. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 263 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 23, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last February 23, first December 7

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 12Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 7Feb 28
32°FMar 29Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 15
28°FMar 15Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 3Jan 25
24°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 19Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 25Jan 16Jan 5
20°FFeb 27Feb 14Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 18Jan 13Jan 6Dec 30
16°FFeb 11Feb 3Jan 28Jan 23Jan 17Jan 11Jan 7Jan 5Dec 30

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 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14
28°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Jan 4
24°FNov 29Dec 6Dec 15Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 9Jan 15Jan 27
20°FDec 12Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 26Feb 6
16°FDec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 7Jan 10Jan 15Jan 21Jan 29Feb 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°F263253246241235229224218209
32°F291282275269263258252245236
28°F325314306299292286279271258
24°F359345336330323316307300288
20°F365365365361353345336327313
16°F365365365365365365365355337

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
92% of years
20°F or colder
67% of years
16°F or colder
28% 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
2,269
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,269
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,238
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,565
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,011
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,602
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,349

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January577276
February4266113
March26823261
April9974430
May15225676
June0405855
July0508973
August0521986
September4349795
October80129518
November28922231
December512598

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 28.6 km from Cushing. 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 USC00417841 (Rusk). Public domain.