Tatum climate

Tatum Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Longview Wsmo, 13.1 km from Tatum, elevation 407 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Longview Wsmo. 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 17, a growing season of about 250 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 26, first November 6
Median at 32°F
last March 11, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last February 27, 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 12Apr 7Apr 3Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6
32°FMar 30Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 20
28°FMar 18Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16Feb 8Jan 31
24°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 20Feb 13Feb 7Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 5
20°FFeb 21Feb 10Feb 3Jan 28Jan 22Jan 15Jan 9Jan 2Dec 26
16°FFeb 9Feb 2Jan 27Jan 21Jan 14Jan 8Jan 5Jan 1Dec 24

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 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 23
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5
28°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 26
24°FNov 21Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 18Dec 25Jan 1Jan 5Jan 16
20°FDec 6Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 13Jan 22Feb 4
16°FDec 18Dec 30Jan 2Jan 4Jan 8Jan 12Jan 17Jan 26Feb 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°F252241235230224219214209201
32°F278269261255250245240235226
28°F310299292285278271266259251
24°F352338330321314306299288276
20°F365365365357350341334324309
16°F365365365365365365365355341

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
95% of years
20°F or colder
68% of years
16°F or colder
26% 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
2,255
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,392
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,364
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,693
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,140
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,731
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,475

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January576377
February4217115
March25726270
April9282443
May13244696
June0429879
July05421,007
August05461,010
September4358804
October81126513
November29324228
December517697

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 13.1 km from Tatum. 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 USW00003951 (Longview Wsmo). Public domain.