Pecos County climate

Pecos County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Stockton, 23 km from Pecos County, elevation 3038 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Stockton. 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 20, a growing season of about 254 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 26, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 8, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 23, first December 1

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

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 25Oct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24
32°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7
28°FNov 12Nov 18Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25
24°FNov 23Nov 30Dec 8Dec 16Dec 21Dec 28Jan 3Jan 12Jan 28
20°FDec 3Dec 13Dec 21Dec 28Jan 2Jan 9Jan 20Feb 1Feb 9
16°FDec 7Dec 16Dec 25Dec 31Jan 4Jan 17Jan 24Jan 30Feb 6

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°F256244238233229225218212203
32°F282273266260254249243236227
28°F317306299292285277270261250
24°F359344334328320312304295279
20°F365365365365361350338330318
16°F365365365365365365365365341

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
93% of years
20°F or colder
55% of years
16°F or colder
19% 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
2,030
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,596
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,787
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,080
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,479
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,017
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,720

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January520188
February3655140
March21238320
April69128512
May15331781
June0498948
July05491,014
August05391,004
September6336780
October62153562
November28616229
December4952102

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 23 km from Pecos County. 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 USC00413280 (Ft Stockton). Public domain.