South Toledo Bend climate

South Toledo Bend Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Toledo Bend Dam, 4.5 km from South Toledo Bend, elevation 190 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Toledo Bend 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 9 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 9, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 25, first November 30

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 17Apr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 16Mar 10Mar 1
32°FApr 4Mar 27Mar 20Mar 15Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16
28°FMar 17Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 2Jan 26
24°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 20Feb 11Feb 3Jan 30Jan 25Jan 16Dec 31
20°FFeb 20Feb 9Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 18Jan 11Jan 5Dec 26
16°FFeb 10Feb 2Jan 29Jan 24Jan 19Jan 11Jan 7Jan 3Dec 29

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

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°F254245237231225220214208198
32°F281272265258253247241232222
28°F315304295287281275269262250
24°F360345335327318311302294281
20°F365365365365358349341333318
16°F365365365365365365365365350

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
93% of years
20°F or colder
61% of years
16°F or colder
21% 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
2,068
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,471
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,583
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,874
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,290
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,861
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,582

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January523694
February38810122
March23434291
April9199460
May10264719
June0441891
July05471,012
August05391,004
September3365811
October71133531
November27525239
December4718116

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 4.5 km from South Toledo Bend. 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 USC00419068 (Toledo Bend Dam). Public domain.