Paint Rock climate

Paint Rock Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Paint Rock, 1 km from Paint Rock, elevation 1654 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Paint Rock. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 222 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 14, first November 16

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

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 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 22
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3
24°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 18
20°FNov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Dec 28Jan 6
16°FDec 1Dec 6Dec 14Dec 20Dec 27Jan 2Jan 8Jan 18Feb 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°F224215209205201197192187180
32°F246238232226222217213207200
28°F272263256250245240234229221
24°F299289282275269264257251242
20°F339325315306300293286277265
16°F365364353344336329321310298

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
84% 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
2,462
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,518
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,328
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,683
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,160
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,788
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,573

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January616054
February448394
March27622256
April96105465
May14289741
June0476925
July05811,046
August05661,031
September7343786
October83117505
November33315196
December589162

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 1 km from Paint Rock. 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 USC00416747 (Paint Rock). Public domain.