Milam climate

Milam Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for San Augustine, 27.6 km from Milam, elevation 295 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for San Augustine. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 13, a growing season of about 240 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 13
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 25

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 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 19Mar 12
32°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 10Mar 4Feb 26
28°FMar 29Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 4
24°FMar 13Mar 6Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 14
20°FMar 5Feb 21Feb 8Feb 1Jan 26Jan 19Jan 12Jan 4Dec 26
16°FMar 1Feb 8Jan 31Jan 20Jan 13Jan 6Dec 31Dec 26Dec 18

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 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 18
32°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15
24°FNov 13Nov 22Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22Dec 30Jan 7
20°FNov 30Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 8Jan 16Jan 29
16°FDec 8Dec 18Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1Feb 24

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°F241232225220215210205200192
32°F268257251245240235229222214
28°F303290281273267260254245235
24°F340328318308301295287276262
20°F365365357349341334325310298
16°F365365365365365365362349331

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
79% of years
16°F or colder
35% 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
2,183
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,355
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,373
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,687
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,121
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,698
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,442

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January549587
February3967122
March25429272
April9889446
May16247696
June0420870
July0525990
August0531996
September3345792
October79124511
November27826236
December5118103

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 27.6 km from Milam. 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 USC00417951 (San Augustine). Public domain.