Edwards County climate

Edwards County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rocksprings, 10.1 km from Edwards County, elevation 2382 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rocksprings. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around November 25, a growing season of about 258 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 23, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last March 8, first November 25
Median at 28°F
last February 24, first December 6

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 13Apr 6Apr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 3
32°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 13
28°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 5Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9Feb 1Jan 22
24°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 19Feb 10Feb 3Jan 26Jan 19Jan 8Dec 26
20°FMar 1Feb 14Feb 5Jan 29Jan 20Jan 12Jan 4Dec 29Dec 19
16°FFeb 19Feb 7Feb 4Jan 31Jan 20Jan 9Jan 4Dec 30Dec 16

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 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
32°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12
28°FNov 17Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 25Jan 3
24°FNov 29Dec 5Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 14Feb 1
20°FDec 6Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 10Jan 19Feb 1Feb 15
16°FDec 12Dec 25Jan 1Jan 4Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1Feb 4Feb 13

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°F258250244238233227220214205
32°F287278271265258253247241230
28°F326314305297289280273266258
24°F365355344335327317306297282
20°F365365365365365355343334317
16°F365365365365365365365365359

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
89% of years
20°F or colder
50% of years
16°F or colder
15% 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
2,097
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,118
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,226
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,522
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,933
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,492
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,212

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January533179
February3795125
March23723284
April8291463
May12234687
June0387837
July0470935
August0480945
September6302746
October66113515
November28012226
December502192

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 10.1 km from Edwards County. 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 USC00417706 (Rocksprings). Public domain.