Scurry County climate

Scurry County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Snyder, 4 km from Scurry County, elevation 2319 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Snyder. 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 27 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 227 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 27, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 20

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 24Apr 19Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 27Mar 19
32°FApr 14Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6
28°FApr 2Mar 26Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22
24°FMar 15Mar 9Mar 4Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 12Feb 4
20°FMar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 16Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 21Jan 10
16°FFeb 24Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 22Jan 15Jan 8Jan 1Dec 21

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 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4
24°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19
20°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17Dec 20Dec 25Jan 1Jan 9
16°FDec 6Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 12Jan 19Feb 3

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°F226220214209206201197191185
32°F252244237232227222217211204
28°F275267262257252247242235225
24°F304294288283277272266260251
20°F342330321312306300294286275
16°F365365359350341334325313302

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
79% 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
2,853
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,267
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,751
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,152
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,697
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,393
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,251

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January684032
February510272
March32817216
April13276407
May30250686
June1443892
July05561,021
August0526990
September13297734
October11494455
November3927152
December650040

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 km from Scurry County. 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 USC00418433 (Snyder). Public domain.