Falls City climate

Falls City Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Floresville, 21.9 km from Falls City, elevation 400 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Floresville. 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 6 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 261 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 6, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 21, first December 3

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 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27
32°FMar 30Mar 22Mar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 10
28°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31Jan 21
24°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 18Feb 9Feb 3Jan 31Jan 23Jan 9Dec 25
20°FFeb 27Feb 9Feb 2Jan 27Jan 19Jan 10Jan 4Dec 28Dec 14
16°FFeb 5Jan 30Jan 23Jan 16Jan 11Jan 6Jan 3Dec 28Dec 14

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 24Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16Nov 21Nov 29
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 12
28°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 17Dec 28Jan 7
24°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 7Dec 16Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 19Feb 4
20°FDec 2Dec 12Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 14Jan 30Feb 6
16°FDec 11Dec 25Jan 1Jan 3Jan 5Jan 10Jan 16Jan 23Feb 1

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°F262252245239233227221214206
32°F296283274267261254248240227
28°F332315306300292283276267255
24°F365356342334325316307300286
20°F365365365365364354342333317
16°F365365365365365365365365348

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
86% of years
20°F or colder
52% of years
16°F or colder
20% 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
1,472
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,178
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,861
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,095
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,407
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,845
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,431

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January41812146
February27823206
March13478420
April40166577
May4374835
June0523973
July06151,080
August06291,094
September1445894
October38230658
November18563348
December37519175

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 21.9 km from Falls City. 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 USC00413201 (Floresville). Public domain.