Fort Davis climate

Fort Davis Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Davis, 1.5 km from Fort Davis, elevation 4864 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Davis. 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 April 5 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 209 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first October 23
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 11

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°FMay 3Apr 29Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 6Apr 1
32°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 24Mar 17
28°FApr 10Apr 2Mar 28Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28
24°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17Feb 8
20°FMar 10Mar 4Feb 27Feb 21Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 25Jan 12
16°FMar 1Feb 19Feb 9Feb 2Jan 26Jan 17Jan 7Dec 31Dec 17

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 9Oct 14Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 4
32°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14
28°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26
24°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
20°FNov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 21Dec 29
16°FNov 28Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 29Jan 3Jan 14Feb 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°F208202197192189185180175167
32°F230223218213209205200195186
28°F261253247241236230225218208
24°F291282276270265259253247235
20°F332321311302295288281274264
16°F365358349342334326317305294

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
84% 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
2,406
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,620
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,411
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,717
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,159
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,778
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,595

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January580044
February409192
March2798222
April10355406
May21207651
June0378828
July0378843
August0340804
September13193631
October10157427
November3493154
December552057

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 1.5 km from Fort Davis. 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 USC00413262 (Ft Davis). Public domain.