Gladewater climate

Gladewater Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Longview #2, 21.1 km from Gladewater, elevation 504 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Longview #2. 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 23, a growing season of about 260 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 12
Median at 32°F
last March 7, first November 23
Median at 28°F
last February 22, first December 5

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 9Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 7Feb 28
32°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22Feb 14
28°FMar 14Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31Jan 26
24°FMar 6Feb 27Feb 15Feb 7Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 13Jan 1
20°FFeb 22Feb 7Jan 31Jan 27Jan 19Jan 12Jan 6Jan 2Dec 26
16°FFeb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 8Jan 4Jan 2Dec 25

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 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 25Dec 1
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
28°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 24Jan 3
24°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 15Jan 29
20°FDec 12Dec 25Dec 30Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 15Jan 26Feb 6
16°FDec 23Dec 31Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 21Jan 30Feb 6

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°F260252246241234229223218209
32°F287278271265260254248242234
28°F327312304296290282275268258
24°F365350342334328319309301288
20°F365365365365362353344333320
16°F365365365365365365365365347

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
90% of years
20°F or colder
55% 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
2,121
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,751
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,840
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,151
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,577
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,147
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,867

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January552586
February39910130
March23537297
April79100475
May10298753
June0490940
July06061,071
August06071,072
September1409858
October67154553
November27429242
December5045100

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 21.1 km from Gladewater. 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 USC00415344 (Longview #2). Public domain.