Odessa climate

Odessa Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Odessa, 3.8 km from Odessa, elevation 2910 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Odessa. 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 15 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 2, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 3, first November 26

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 24Apr 15Apr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 25Mar 18Mar 10
32°FApr 9Apr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 3Feb 25
28°FMar 27Mar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 16Feb 9
24°FMar 10Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 9Feb 5Jan 29Jan 16
20°FFeb 26Feb 16Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 18Jan 10Jan 2Dec 23
16°FFeb 12Feb 4Jan 28Jan 20Jan 12Jan 7Jan 3Dec 28Dec 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 23Oct 27Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
28°FNov 7Nov 13Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13
24°FNov 18Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1
20°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 24
16°FDec 9Dec 15Dec 23Dec 28Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1

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°F242233227221217212207202192
32°F268260254248243238232226216
28°F295285280274268263257249237
24°F333321311304297291285277267
20°F365358350342334327320309296
16°F365365365365363356348337325

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
86% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,509
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,326
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,066
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,418
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,904
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,551
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,358

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January634038
February448391
March26125264
April9396459
May19292738
June0481931
July05391,004
August0508973
September10276716
October9697473
November3478169
December601047

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 3.8 km from Odessa. 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 USC00416502 (Odessa). Public domain.