Quinlan climate

Quinlan Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake Tawakoni, 24.1 km from Quinlan, elevation 448 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake Tawakoni. 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 14, a growing season of about 242 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 30, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 16, first November 14
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 19Apr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 10
32°FApr 5Mar 30Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 3Feb 26
28°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 9
24°FMar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 7Jan 31Jan 19
20°FMar 4Feb 24Feb 14Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Dec 31
16°FFeb 25Feb 11Feb 3Jan 28Jan 21Jan 14Jan 8Dec 31Dec 22

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 21Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15Nov 22
32°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 29Dec 4
28°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 19
24°FNov 16Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 8
20°FNov 30Dec 8Dec 15Dec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 17Feb 1
16°FDec 12Dec 20Dec 29Jan 2Jan 7Jan 13Jan 20Feb 1Feb 11

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°F245235227222218213209203196
32°F270260253247242237231225216
28°F297287280275270264257251243
24°F332320310304297291285277265
20°F365357347338331323314305296
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
86% of years
16°F or colder
49% 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
2,599
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,376
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,069
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,446
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,953
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,603
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,407

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January646156
February479592
March31718221
April12363397
May18226673
June0439889
July05661,031
August05721,037
September6352796
October95112486
November32819202
December588474

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 24.1 km from Quinlan. 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 USC00414980 (Lake Tawakoni). Public domain.