Panola County climate

Panola County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carthage, 3.2 km from Panola County, elevation 305 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carthage. 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 8 and the first fall freeze around November 19, a growing season of about 255 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 8, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 24, first December 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°FApr 16Apr 8Apr 3Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 9Mar 3
32°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19
28°FMar 16Mar 8Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 12Feb 3Jan 28
24°FMar 4Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 1
20°FFeb 17Feb 7Feb 1Jan 28Jan 22Jan 17Jan 10Jan 2Dec 23
16°FFeb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 23Jan 20Jan 16Jan 10Jan 5Dec 31

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 26Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 26
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 2Dec 8
28°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 29
24°FNov 20Nov 30Dec 8Dec 16Dec 23Dec 30Jan 4Jan 12Jan 22
20°FDec 8Dec 19Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 16Jan 21Feb 1
16°FDec 27Jan 2Jan 5Jan 9Jan 14Jan 19Jan 24Jan 30Feb 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°F255246240235230224218213205
32°F283273266260255249244238227
28°F320306298291284277272264254
24°F357345337329322313305298286
20°F365365365365357350341332321
16°F365365365365365365365363345

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
94% of years
20°F or colder
64% of years
16°F or colder
23% 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
2,263
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,428
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,386
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,711
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,160
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,755
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,507

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January578375
February4147113
March26029269
April9386446
May12254707
June0444894
July05521,017
August05521,017
September4355801
October82121507
November30320217
December516699

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 3.2 km from Panola County. 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 USC00411500 (Carthage). Public domain.