Lipscomb County climate

Lipscomb County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lipscomb, 4.7 km from Lipscomb County, elevation 2390 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lipscomb. 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 April 27 and the first fall freeze around October 15, a growing season of about 170 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 5
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 15
Median at 28°F
last April 16, first October 24

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°FMay 16May 12May 11May 8May 5May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 22
32°FMay 8May 4May 1Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 12
28°FMay 2Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Mar 31
24°FApr 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 18
20°FApr 12Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
16°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 24

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°FSep 22Sep 26Sep 29Oct 2Oct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 18
32°FSep 29Oct 5Oct 9Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26
28°FOct 8Oct 15Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4
24°FOct 18Oct 24Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12
20°FOct 26Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
16°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1

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°F170164160156151148145141135
32°F188182178174170166162157151
28°F210202197193189185180175167
24°F232224218213209205200194186
20°F252244238233228224220214205
16°F273266260255250244240232225

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
4,639
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,548
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,806
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,467
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,270
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,226
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,320

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January96404
February785014
March578486
April31321213
May109113474
June8312754
July1460924
August2413876
September47192597
October27332265
November618259
December94105

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 4.7 km from Lipscomb County. 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 USC00415247 (Lipscomb). Public domain.