Taylor County climate

Taylor County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Abilene Rgnl AP, 23 km from Taylor County, elevation 1790 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Abilene Rgnl AP. 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 20 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 236 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 20, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 23

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 22Apr 16Apr 11Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17
32°FApr 10Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1
28°FMar 28Mar 18Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18
24°FMar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 6Jan 28
20°FMar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 5Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 3
16°FFeb 22Feb 10Feb 2Jan 28Jan 21Jan 13Jan 5Dec 28Dec 19

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 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14
32°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 28
28°FNov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11
24°FNov 17Nov 23Nov 28Dec 2Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 30
20°FNov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 24
16°FDec 8Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 8Jan 15Jan 25Feb 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°F235227220216211207202197188
32°F261253246240236230224217209
28°F284276271266261256251245235
24°F321309299292286280275268259
20°F358343335327320312305296285
16°F365365365365355346337329313

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
93% of years
16°F or colder
63% 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
2,319
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,696
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,635
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,975
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,433
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,036
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,790

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January583273
February4258117
March25541292
April92122486
May16298747
June0485934
July06121,077
August05951,060
September7362806
October84146533
November30723225
December551385

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 km from Taylor 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 USW00013962 (Abilene Rgnl AP). Public domain.