Graford climate

Graford Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Mineral Wells AP, 24.6 km from Graford, elevation 930 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Mineral Wells AP. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 9, first November 21

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 23Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25Mar 17
32°FApr 14Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 3
28°FApr 2Mar 24Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 3Jan 27
20°FMar 3Feb 25Feb 16Feb 10Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 4
16°FFeb 18Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 20Jan 12Jan 4Dec 26Dec 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 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 16
32°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7
24°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 27
20°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 22
16°FDec 7Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27Jan 2Jan 6Jan 13Jan 21Feb 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°F232224219214210205200194186
32°F258248242235231226219213206
28°F283274267262256250245239229
24°F317305297289282277272264254
20°F355341334327319311302293281
16°F365365365361353346339330313

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
94% of years
16°F or colder
67% 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
2,410
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,489
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,339
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,687
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,163
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,785
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,557

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January609160
February4357111
March26035278
April9895452
May16256705
June0449898
July05811,046
August05731,038
September6348792
October91122502
November31919210
December576271

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 24.6 km from Graford. 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 USW00093985 (Mineral Wells AP). Public domain.