Lampasas climate

Lampasas Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lampasas, 0.9 km from Lampasas, elevation 1032 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lampasas. 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 22 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 22, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 26

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 21Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 22Mar 13
32°FApr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2
28°FMar 31Mar 23Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 21Feb 11
24°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20Feb 12Feb 4Jan 29Jan 19
20°FMar 4Feb 26Feb 12Feb 3Jan 29Jan 23Jan 15Jan 3Dec 23
16°FFeb 21Feb 8Feb 1Jan 25Jan 17Jan 9Jan 3Dec 27Dec 15

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 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 20
32°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
28°FNov 5Nov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 17
24°FNov 15Nov 22Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 31Jan 7
20°FNov 27Dec 5Dec 11Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 19Feb 2
16°FDec 6Dec 14Dec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 18Jan 31Feb 14

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°F238230224219214209204199190
32°F265254249243238232227220211
28°F297286277271264258251243234
24°F334321312304296287280271260
20°F365363353341334327317305293
16°F365365365365365365355344330

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
84% of years
16°F or colder
39% 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
2,212
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,622
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,620
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,931
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,370
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,962
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,708

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January566270
February4065112
March26230270
April90101463
May13273725
June0468918
July05871,052
August05941,058
September6384828
October71146542
November27430247
December523384

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 0.9 km from Lampasas. 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 USC00415018 (Lampasas). Public domain.