Mission Bend climate

Mission Bend Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Sugar Land, 8.1 km from Mission Bend, elevation 84 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Sugar Land. 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 February 9 and the first fall freeze around December 13, a growing season of about 305 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 2, first November 29
Median at 32°F
last February 9, first December 13
Median at 28°F
last January 28, first January 1

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°FMar 25Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 19Feb 12Feb 2
32°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 26Feb 17Feb 9Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 13
28°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 8Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 16Jan 7Dec 26
24°FFeb 20Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26Jan 20Jan 13Jan 7Jan 2Dec 29
20°FFeb 4Jan 31Jan 21Jan 15Jan 11Jan 8Jan 5Jan 2Dec 29
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20
32°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20Dec 28Jan 3Jan 13
28°FNov 30Dec 9Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 5Jan 10Jan 19Feb 2
24°FDec 19Dec 28Jan 1Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 19Jan 31Feb 9
20°FDec 29Jan 1Jan 2Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 19Jan 29Feb 2
16°F–––––––––

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°F306294286279272267260252243
32°F340329321312305297290279269
28°F365365354345337331323313296
24°F365365365365365364353343331
20°F365365365365365365365365358
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
98% of years
28°F or colder
78% of years
24°F or colder
39% of years
20°F or colder
14% of years
16°F or colder
3% 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
1,208
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,289
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,224
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,439
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,712
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,088
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,608

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January36711175
February22027253
March11485442
April25183608
May1387851
June0537987
July06231,088
August06261,091
September0465915
October22256700
November14371388
December31520214

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 8.1 km from Mission Bend. 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 USC00418728 (Sugar Land). Public domain.