Palacios climate

Palacios Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Palacios Muni AP, 4 km from Palacios, elevation 12 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Palacios Muni 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 February 1 and the first fall freeze around December 17, a growing season of about 319 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 24, first November 30
Median at 32°F
last February 1, first December 17
Median at 28°F
last January 18, first January 2

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°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 1Jan 25
32°FMar 7Feb 27Feb 19Feb 10Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 11Dec 30
28°FFeb 24Feb 7Jan 31Jan 23Jan 18Jan 10Jan 5Dec 30Dec 16
24°FFeb 13Jan 31Jan 20Jan 14Jan 10Jan 6Jan 3Jan 1Dec 19
20°F–––––––––
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 10Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14Dec 25
32°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 6Jan 18
28°FDec 5Dec 13Dec 22Dec 29Jan 2Jan 6Jan 13Jan 23Feb 2
24°FDec 17Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 11Jan 17Jan 26Feb 11
20°F–––––––––
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°F317305294287279273266258247
32°F357343334328319310301291278
28°F365365365365357349339329311
24°F365365365365365365365365353
20°F365365365365365365365365365
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
93% of years
28°F or colder
62% of years
24°F or colder
21% of years
20°F or colder
4% 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
1,001
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,522
Growing degree days, base 40°F
11,654
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,854
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,100
Growing degree days, base 55°F
6,438
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,904

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January31018217
February19332278
March9496472
April19211642
May1407871
June05591,009
July06321,097
August06401,105
September0495945
October16292741
November114102446
December25538277

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 4 km from Palacios. 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 USW00012935 (Palacios Muni AP). Public domain.