Fort Gates climate

Fort Gates Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Gatesville, 1.7 km from Fort Gates, elevation 826 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Gatesville. 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 19 and the first fall freeze around November 9, a growing season of about 236 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 19, first November 9
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first November 20

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 22Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 15
32°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 10Mar 4Feb 26
28°FMar 27Mar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 21Feb 12
24°FMar 13Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 6Jan 28Jan 15
20°FMar 2Feb 22Feb 15Feb 6Jan 30Jan 24Jan 14Jan 2Dec 24
16°FFeb 19Feb 7Jan 31Jan 22Jan 16Jan 8Jan 2Dec 27Dec 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 19Oct 23Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
32°FOct 25Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 30
28°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 11
24°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Jan 2
20°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 26Jan 2Jan 9Jan 24
16°FDec 5Dec 13Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 6Jan 13Jan 23Feb 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°F238228221216212207202197189
32°F264253246241236230224217208
28°F291280272266259254249242234
24°F331316307299292284277268256
20°F365356344336330321312302288
16°F365365365365363355346335322

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
89% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,083
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,643
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,763
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,065
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,486
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,050
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,764

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January529388
February38210135
March22441310
April78111486
May10286741
June0462912
July05771,042
August05871,052
September4376822
October71149547
November27435257
December511696

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 1.7 km from Fort Gates. 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 USC00413485 (Gatesville). Public domain.