Kemp climate

Kemp Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kaufman 3 Se, 13.5 km from Kemp, elevation 420 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kaufman 3 Se. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 14, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 1, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 27

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 20Apr 13Apr 9Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 12
32°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 9Mar 4Feb 25
28°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 8
24°FMar 11Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 19
20°FMar 3Feb 23Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 8Dec 28
16°FFeb 16Feb 7Feb 1Jan 27Jan 18Jan 10Jan 5Dec 30Dec 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 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 20
32°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 3
28°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15
24°FNov 18Nov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 6
20°FDec 1Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 16Feb 1
16°FDec 11Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 18Jan 29Feb 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°F243234228223218213208202194
32°F268260253248243237231225215
28°F296285279272267261255249239
24°F331318309302297289282274262
20°F365356346336331324316304293
16°F365365365365365357346335326

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
86% of years
16°F or colder
49% 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
2,507
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,434
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,186
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,542
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,033
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,676
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,473

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January630152
February463491
March29820234
April12064399
May16235684
June0444894
July05721,037
August05731,038
September6374817
October85122506
November31622210
December573472

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 13.5 km from Kemp. 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 USC00414705 (Kaufman 3 Se). Public domain.