Needville climate

Needville Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Thompsons 3 Wsw, 22 km from Needville, elevation 70 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Thompsons 3 Wsw. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around December 6, a growing season of about 297 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 6, first November 22
Median at 32°F
last February 15, first December 6
Median at 28°F
last January 26, first December 29

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 1Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24Feb 17Feb 4
32°FMar 15Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 13
28°FMar 5Feb 21Feb 8Feb 1Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 3Dec 21
24°FMar 1Feb 4Jan 27Jan 20Jan 13Jan 8Jan 2Dec 28Dec 16
20°FMar 1Jan 31Jan 20Jan 12Jan 7Jan 3Jan 1Dec 28Dec 18
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 4Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12
32°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 27Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 19Dec 28Jan 5
28°FNov 29Dec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 29Jan 2Jan 8Jan 14Jan 29
24°FDec 10Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 23Feb 9
20°FDec 18Dec 24Jan 1Jan 2Jan 6Jan 11Jan 19Jan 23Feb 18
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°F298285276269263257251243233
32°F335323313305297291282274261
28°F365359348340334328318305292
24°F365365365365365363355346333
20°F365365365365365365365365362
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
99% of years
28°F or colder
83% of years
24°F or colder
44% of years
20°F or colder
12% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,320
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,971
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,793
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,015
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,313
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,721
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,265

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January38612163
February24822228
March13865403
April37145559
May3339801
June0487937
July05631,028
August05801,045
September0438888
October28226664
November15869379
December32324219

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 22 km from Needville. 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 USC00418996 (Thompsons 3 Wsw). Public domain.