Gorman climate

Gorman Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Eastland, 24.7 km from Gorman, elevation 1438 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Eastland. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 10, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 12, first November 13

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

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 12Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 10
32°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 20
28°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 2
24°FNov 6Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 19
20°FNov 17Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 16Dec 23Jan 1Jan 11
16°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27Jan 2Jan 9Jan 22Feb 3

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°F223215209204199195191185177
32°F247238232227222217212205196
28°F271262255249245239233226217
24°F302291284277271266260252242
20°F337325317308303296288279269
16°F365363354344335328321312300

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
82% 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
2,693
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,270
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,878
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,261
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,784
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,455
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,279

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January648050
February501374
March30425241
April12674405
May23237679
June1433882
July05551,020
August0533998
September12298737
October10699465
November36513174
December609160

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 24.7 km from Gorman. 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 USC00412715 (Eastland). Public domain.