Nacogdoches County Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Nacogdoches. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 248 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 30, first November 6
- Median at 32°F
- last March 13, first November 17
- Median at 28°F
- last February 28, first December 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.
| Threshold | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 17 | Apr 11 | Apr 6 | Apr 3 | Mar 30 | Mar 25 | Mar 20 | Mar 13 | Mar 7 |
| 32°F | Apr 6 | Mar 31 | Mar 23 | Mar 18 | Mar 13 | Mar 9 | Mar 5 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 |
| 28°F | Mar 20 | Mar 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 3 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 18 | Feb 8 | Jan 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 10 | Mar 1 | Feb 22 | Feb 14 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 26 | Jan 17 | Jan 2 |
| 20°F | Mar 1 | Feb 15 | Feb 5 | Jan 31 | Jan 25 | Jan 18 | Jan 11 | Jan 1 | Dec 23 |
| 16°F | Feb 21 | Feb 6 | Feb 1 | Jan 28 | Jan 23 | Jan 16 | Jan 9 | Jan 5 | Jan 2 |
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 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 23 |
| 32°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 |
| 28°F | Nov 9 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 22 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 21 |
| 20°F | Dec 7 | Dec 17 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 15 | Jan 25 | Feb 9 |
| 16°F | Jan 1 | Jan 3 | Jan 4 | Jan 8 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 26 | Feb 1 | Feb 12 |
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 | 250 | 240 | 233 | 228 | 223 | 217 | 213 | 207 | 198 |
| 32°F | 278 | 267 | 260 | 254 | 248 | 242 | 235 | 228 | 218 |
| 28°F | 315 | 301 | 292 | 283 | 276 | 270 | 263 | 256 | 245 |
| 24°F | 355 | 341 | 333 | 324 | 314 | 306 | 298 | 288 | 274 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 358 | 348 | 338 | 326 | 310 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 353 |
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
- 95% of years
- 20°F or colder
- 60% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 16% 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
- 2,214
- Cooling degree days, base 65°F
- 2,521
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,514
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 7,830
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,273
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 4,859
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 3,606
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 561 | 4 | 79 |
| February | 401 | 9 | 122 |
| March | 258 | 30 | 273 |
| April | 94 | 89 | 448 |
| May | 15 | 266 | 716 |
| June | 0 | 456 | 906 |
| July | 0 | 563 | 1,028 |
| August | 0 | 564 | 1,029 |
| September | 3 | 374 | 820 |
| October | 76 | 135 | 526 |
| November | 288 | 26 | 233 |
| December | 518 | 6 | 94 |
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 2.6 km from Nacogdoches 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 USC00416177 (Nacogdoches). Public domain.