Kilgore climate

Kilgore Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Longview, 17.7 km from Kilgore, elevation 330 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Longview. 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 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 5
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 14
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first November 28

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 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 18Mar 11
32°FApr 7Apr 1Mar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 24
28°FMar 21Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 2
24°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Feb 1Jan 28Jan 20Jan 9
20°FFeb 25Feb 14Feb 6Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 10Jan 3Dec 25
16°FFeb 16Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 19Jan 11Jan 7Jan 3Dec 26

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 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 22
32°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4
28°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 18Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 22
24°FNov 18Nov 25Dec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 21Dec 29Jan 4Jan 13
20°FDec 1Dec 12Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1
16°FDec 17Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 8Jan 14Jan 22Jan 30Feb 5

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°F244235230224219214209203195
32°F273263256249244239233226215
28°F304294286280274268261254245
24°F347334325315308301294284270
20°F365365364355346339330318306
16°F365365365365365365362350333

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
73% of years
16°F or colder
33% 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
2,339
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,436
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,328
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,666
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,128
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,734
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,499

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January593369
February4306108
March26725259
April10381432
May13255707
June0446895
July05601,024
August05561,021
September5360805
October84119504
November30821215
December536587

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 17.7 km from Kilgore. 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 USC00415341 (Longview). Public domain.