Loving County climate

Loving County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ochoa, 38.2 km from Loving County, elevation 3398 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ochoa. 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 4 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 217 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 17, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 17, first November 16

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

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°F213207202198194190187182175
32°F239231225221217211206200193
28°F266257251246241236231225215
24°F295285279273268263257251242
20°F331321313308302295288280269
16°F365357349341335330323313300

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
90% 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
2,926
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,982
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,382
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,788
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,341
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,054
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,934

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January700023
February509061
March3428192
April13947371
May29217653
June1443892
July0482947
August0459924
September12257695
October11967420
November4083131
December666033

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 38.2 km from Loving County. 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 USC00296281 (Ochoa). Public domain.