Pecan Hill climate

Pecan Hill Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Waxahachie, 8.4 km from Pecan Hill, elevation 626 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Waxahachie. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around November 16, a growing season of about 245 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 7
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 16
Median at 28°F
last March 3, first November 29

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

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 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
32°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 5
28°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 19
24°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 11
20°FDec 1Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 10Jan 17Feb 1
16°FDec 10Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 4Jan 11Jan 17Jan 28Feb 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°F248240233228223218213207198
32°F271262256250245239234228221
28°F301290283278272266259251241
24°F338324315306299292284276265
20°F365361350343334327317304293
16°F365365365365365359349339326

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
85% of years
16°F or colder
51% 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
2,431
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,543
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,368
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,709
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,182
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,815
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,599

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January615156
February458390
March29117235
April10274426
May13248701
June0468918
July05981,063
August06041,069
September4382828
October75126519
November30918209
December564369

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 8.4 km from Pecan Hill. 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 USC00419522 (Waxahachie). Public domain.