Shallowater climate

Shallowater Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lubbock, 17.5 km from Shallowater, elevation 3259 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lubbock. 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 2, a growing season of about 210 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 22, first November 11

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 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31
32°FApr 22Apr 17Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 17
28°FApr 10Apr 4Apr 1Mar 26Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8Mar 2
24°FMar 29Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19
20°FMar 14Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 15Feb 8Feb 1
16°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 6Feb 2Jan 27Jan 18Jan 4

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

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°F211203198194191187182178172
32°F233225219214210206201196189
28°F257249243238233228223218209
24°F280273268263258253248242234
20°F312301295288283277271265256
16°F348335329321313306300290278

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
3,243
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,950
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,105
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,561
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,167
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,936
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,867

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January741018
February556150
March38110172
April16953351
May42210635
June1409858
July0502967
August0460925
September20240671
October16061382
November4524114
December722023

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 17.5 km from Shallowater. 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 USW00023042 (Lubbock). Public domain.