Quanah climate

Quanah Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Quanah 2 Sw, 2.9 km from Quanah, elevation 1602 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Quanah 2 Sw. 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 April 4 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 210 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 16, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 10

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 30Apr 26Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 30
32°FApr 22Apr 17Apr 12Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 15
28°FApr 11Apr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 2
24°FMar 30Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18
20°FMar 16Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 11Jan 31
16°FMar 5Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 11Feb 6Jan 30Jan 21Jan 6

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 9Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 17Oct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
28°FOct 25Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25
24°FNov 1Nov 7Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10
20°FNov 12Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 4Dec 9Dec 13Dec 19Dec 28
16°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 8Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 2Jan 10Jan 29

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°F211204199195192188183178169
32°F234227220215210205201195188
28°F257249243238234229223215206
24°F282274268262257252246239230
20°F313303296289282277271264254
16°F349334326319312305300292279

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
96% 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
3,250
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,231
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,404
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,869
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,483
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,248
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,165

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January753024
February590140
March38611173
April17548340
May32210644
June1443892
July05871,052
August05581,023
September17291725
October13975413
November4376132
December721025

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 2.9 km from Quanah. 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 USC00417336 (Quanah 2 Sw). Public domain.