Sansom Park climate

Sansom Park Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Worth Meacham Fld, 4.2 km from Sansom Park, elevation 687 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Worth Meacham Fld. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 19, a growing season of about 252 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 11, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 28, 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 18Apr 10Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 5
32°FApr 3Mar 27Mar 20Mar 16Mar 11Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21
28°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 3
24°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 16
20°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 10Feb 3Jan 29Jan 23Jan 18Jan 7Dec 27
16°FFeb 17Feb 8Feb 2Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 5Dec 31Dec 19

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 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25
32°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
28°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 23
24°FNov 25Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 15
20°FDec 4Dec 12Dec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 15Jan 23Feb 4
16°FDec 13Dec 20Dec 30Jan 2Jan 8Jan 16Jan 22Feb 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°F252243237230226221215209200
32°F278268262257252246238231223
28°F305295288281275270264256247
24°F342329320312306300292284275
20°F365364354345335329320311299
16°F365365365365365362351338323

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
98% of years
20°F or colder
85% of years
16°F or colder
46% 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
2,342
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,693
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,606
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,943
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,405
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,013
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,772

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January595270
February4327114
March27030266
April9990446
May14271722
June0491940
July06251,090
August06261,091
September4385831
October83142528
November29922222
December545485

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 4.2 km from Sansom Park. 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 USW00013961 (Ft Worth Meacham Fld). Public domain.