Holiday Beach Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rockport Aransas CO 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 January 23 and the first fall freeze around January 1, a growing season of about 347 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last February 6, first December 13
- Median at 32°F
- last January 23, first January 1
- Median at 28°F
- last January 8, first January 4
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 6 | Mar 1 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Jan 30 | Jan 23 | Jan 14 | Jan 4 |
| 32°F | Feb 27 | Feb 14 | Feb 5 | Jan 29 | Jan 23 | Jan 13 | Jan 6 | Dec 31 | Dec 19 |
| 28°F | Feb 19 | Feb 3 | Jan 27 | Jan 15 | Jan 8 | Jan 4 | Dec 31 | Dec 25 | Dec 13 |
| 24°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 20°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 16°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 13 |
| 32°F | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 11 | Jan 22 | Feb 3 |
| 28°F | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 18 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 |
| 24°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 20°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 16°F | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 351 | 337 | 329 | 320 | 312 | 304 | 297 | 287 | 274 |
| 32°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 356 | 347 | 339 | 333 | 322 | 306 |
| 28°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 355 | 338 |
| 24°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
How often it gets that cold
The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.
- 36°F or colder
- 97% of years
- 32°F or colder
- 70% of years
- 28°F or colder
- 30% of years
- 24°F or colder
- 5% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 0% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 0% 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
- 826
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 3,774
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 12,079
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 10,273
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 8,501
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 6,803
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 5,218
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 270 | 25 | 255 |
| February | 157 | 47 | 325 |
| March | 68 | 124 | 524 |
| April | 12 | 252 | 690 |
| May | 0 | 440 | 905 |
| June | 0 | 574 | 1,024 |
| July | 0 | 629 | 1,094 |
| August | 0 | 645 | 1,110 |
| September | 0 | 518 | 968 |
| October | 8 | 343 | 800 |
| November | 87 | 132 | 499 |
| December | 225 | 45 | 307 |
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 10.1 km from Holiday Beach. 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 USW00012972 (Rockport Aransas CO AP). Public domain.