Oakwood climate

Oakwood Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Palestine 6 Wnw, 24.7 km from Oakwood, elevation 383 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Palestine 6 Wnw. 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 19, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 12, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 3

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 17Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17Mar 10Feb 28
32°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 18
28°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 15Feb 4Jan 25
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Jan 30Jan 22Jan 13Dec 31
20°FMar 2Feb 14Feb 6Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Jan 5Dec 31Dec 20
16°FFeb 7Feb 2Jan 23Jan 17Jan 11Jan 6Jan 3Dec 31Dec 20

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 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
28°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 13Dec 23Jan 2
24°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 7Dec 14Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 12Jan 30
20°FDec 4Dec 13Dec 20Dec 30Jan 2Jan 9Jan 17Feb 1Feb 11
16°FDec 12Dec 21Dec 31Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 19Jan 27Feb 5

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°F259248240234228223217211201
32°F285274266259253247239232222
28°F324309300291284276268259248
24°F361348339332324313304294280
20°F365365365365358349340331312
16°F365365365365365365365361344

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
92% of years
20°F or colder
59% of years
16°F or colder
22% 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
1,993
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,633
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,834
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,130
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,543
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,084
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,776

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January5176103
February36712151
March22438306
April79103477
May9272728
June0450900
July05781,043
August05811,046
September1394843
October63158561
November26532259
December46810126

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 24.7 km from Oakwood. 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 USW00053968 (Palestine 6 Wnw). Public domain.