Maud Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Wright Patman Dm & Lk. 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 4 and the first fall freeze around November 21, a growing season of about 261 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 17, first November 9
- Median at 32°F
- last March 4, first November 21
- Median at 28°F
- last February 19, first December 5
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 5 | Apr 1 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 | Mar 17 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 |
| 32°F | Mar 24 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Mar 1 | Feb 26 | Feb 21 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F | Mar 10 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 19 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 |
| 24°F | Mar 1 | Feb 20 | Feb 13 | Feb 6 | Feb 1 | Jan 29 | Jan 23 | Jan 16 | Jan 6 |
| 20°F | Feb 15 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 27 | Jan 21 | Jan 15 | Jan 9 | Jan 3 | Dec 24 |
| 16°F | Feb 14 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 20 | Jan 17 | Jan 12 | Jan 6 | Jan 1 |
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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 |
| 32°F | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 |
| 28°F | Nov 12 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 |
| 24°F | Nov 26 | Dec 3 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 20 |
| 20°F | Dec 13 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 21 | Feb 2 |
| 16°F | Dec 31 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 16 | Jan 19 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | 260 | 252 | 247 | 242 | 237 | 232 | 227 | 221 | 213 |
| 32°F | 289 | 280 | 273 | 267 | 261 | 255 | 249 | 243 | 235 |
| 28°F | 324 | 312 | 304 | 298 | 291 | 284 | 278 | 271 | 260 |
| 24°F | 357 | 347 | 338 | 331 | 324 | 317 | 308 | 300 | 289 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 363 | 355 | 347 | 340 | 334 | 322 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 359 | 344 |
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
- 92% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 63% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 24% 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
- 2,515
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,361
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,101
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,462
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 5,957
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,599
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,394
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 633 | 3 | 60 |
| February | 465 | 4 | 86 |
| March | 290 | 23 | 243 |
| April | 107 | 78 | 426 |
| May | 14 | 236 | 687 |
| June | 0 | 440 | 889 |
| July | 0 | 558 | 1,023 |
| August | 0 | 545 | 1,010 |
| September | 7 | 348 | 792 |
| October | 100 | 106 | 476 |
| November | 335 | 16 | 190 |
| December | 563 | 4 | 76 |
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 17.5 km from Maud. 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 USC00419916 (Wright Patman Dm & Lk). Public domain.