Salado climate

Salado Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Stillhouse Hollow Dam, 10.1 km from Salado, elevation 706 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Stillhouse Hollow Dam. 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 14 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last March 1, 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 19Apr 9Apr 4Apr 2Mar 27Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 7
32°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 22Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 22
28°FMar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12Jan 31
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4Jan 30Jan 22Jan 9
20°FMar 1Feb 19Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 22Jan 14Jan 3Dec 22
16°FFeb 17Feb 9Feb 5Jan 31Jan 23Jan 19Jan 12Jan 3Dec 24

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

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°F251244237231226220215208197
32°F276268261255251245239231218
28°F311300291284277271264256247
24°F349336327319309303295285274
20°F365365365355346338329319305
16°F365365365365365365363349332

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
95% of years
20°F or colder
68% of years
16°F or colder
31% 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
2,032
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,630
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,803
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,098
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,498
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,049
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,755

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January534386
February3798132
March23731291
April74101480
May10275730
June0461910
July05781,043
August05861,051
September3390837
October62163569
November25429261
December4786109

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 10.1 km from Salado. 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 USC00418646 (Stillhouse Hollow Dam). Public domain.