Newark Frost Dates and Growing Season
Frost and the growing season
NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Worth Alliance AP. 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 12 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 249 days.
- Median at 36°F
- last March 27, first November 6
- Median at 32°F
- last March 12, 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 18 | Apr 9 | Apr 3 | Mar 31 | Mar 27 | Mar 22 | Mar 17 | Mar 12 | Mar 6 |
| 32°F | Apr 3 | Mar 27 | Mar 21 | Mar 16 | Mar 12 | Mar 9 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 |
| 28°F | Mar 19 | Mar 12 | Mar 8 | Mar 4 | Feb 28 | Feb 24 | Feb 18 | Feb 11 | Feb 1 |
| 24°F | Mar 8 | Mar 2 | Feb 25 | Feb 18 | Feb 11 | Feb 4 | Jan 29 | Jan 21 | Jan 8 |
| 20°F | Feb 28 | Feb 16 | Feb 6 | Jan 31 | Jan 24 | Jan 17 | Jan 8 | Dec 31 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Feb 11 | Feb 2 | Jan 26 | Jan 19 | Jan 11 | Jan 4 | Dec 31 | Dec 22 | Dec 16 |
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 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 |
| 28°F | Nov 10 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 24 |
| 24°F | Nov 25 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 6 | Jan 19 |
| 20°F | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 11 | Jan 20 | Feb 2 |
| 16°F | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 8 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Feb 2 |
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 | 242 | 235 | 229 | 225 | 219 | 213 | 206 | 196 |
| 32°F | 276 | 267 | 261 | 255 | 249 | 244 | 239 | 231 | 222 |
| 28°F | 309 | 296 | 289 | 282 | 276 | 271 | 265 | 258 | 249 |
| 24°F | 345 | 333 | 324 | 315 | 307 | 301 | 294 | 285 | 274 |
| 20°F | 365 | 365 | 359 | 350 | 343 | 334 | 326 | 316 | 303 |
| 16°F | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 365 | 355 | 346 | 332 |
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
- 77% of years
- 16°F or colder
- 41% 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
- 2,930
- Growing degree days, base 40°F
- 9,943
- Growing degree days, base 45°F
- 8,266
- Growing degree days, base 50°F
- 6,710
- Growing degree days, base 55°F
- 5,299
- Growing degree days, base 60°F
- 4,036
Growing degree days by month, base 50°F
Heating and cooling by month
| Month | Heating DD | Cooling DD | Growing DD 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 572 | 3 | 76 |
| February | 413 | 10 | 123 |
| March | 248 | 41 | 292 |
| April | 86 | 110 | 477 |
| May | 12 | 298 | 752 |
| June | 0 | 532 | 982 |
| July | 0 | 671 | 1,136 |
| August | 0 | 665 | 1,130 |
| September | 3 | 405 | 852 |
| October | 74 | 156 | 550 |
| November | 281 | 31 | 245 |
| December | 525 | 6 | 95 |
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 15.8 km from Newark. 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 USW00053909 (Ft Worth Alliance AP). Public domain.