Springtown climate

Springtown Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Worth Nature Ctr, 23.5 km from Springtown, elevation 615 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Worth Nature Ctr. 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 13 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 253 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 28, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 13, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 28, first December 2

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 16Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 5
32°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 21
28°FMar 22Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 10Jan 31
24°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18Feb 12Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 13
20°FMar 1Feb 17Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 6Dec 26
16°FFeb 11Feb 5Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 10Jan 5Dec 31Dec 20

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 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26
32°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 9
28°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 17Dec 24
24°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 25Dec 31Jan 5Jan 17
20°FDec 4Dec 12Dec 19Dec 26Dec 31Jan 5Jan 11Jan 19Feb 1
16°FDec 12Dec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 14Jan 19Jan 29Feb 5

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°F254246239233228222217210201
32°F280270264258253247241235225
28°F311300292285279273267258249
24°F346335327319312305298288276
20°F365365359351344336329320305
16°F365365365365365365357347334

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
79% of years
16°F or colder
42% 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
2,352
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,755
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,666
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,008
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,470
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,077
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,836

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January608262
February4397115
March26828267
April9994452
May16274724
June0492942
July06451,110
August06351,100
September4400846
October88148530
November29026237
December542487

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 23.5 km from Springtown. 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 USC00413289 (Ft Worth Nature Ctr). Public domain.