White Settlement climate

White Settlement Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Ft Worth Nas, 1.1 km from White Settlement, elevation 608 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Ft Worth Nas. 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 3 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 270 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 16, first November 14
Median at 32°F
last March 3, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last February 17, first December 12

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 5Mar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26
32°FMar 22Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 12
28°FMar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 22Feb 17Feb 12Feb 5Jan 30Jan 22
24°FMar 1Feb 18Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 11Dec 30
20°FFeb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 13Jan 6Dec 30Dec 22
16°FFeb 12Feb 2Jan 28Jan 20Jan 13Jan 8Jan 2Dec 26Dec 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 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 26Dec 2
32°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17
28°FNov 21Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1Jan 9
24°FDec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 5Jan 11Jan 18Feb 1
20°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 26Feb 4
16°FDec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 9Jan 14Jan 22Jan 31Feb 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°F269260255249244239233227216
32°F296286280275270264259252243
28°F331322314306300293286279268
24°F365353344337331324317306298
20°F365365365365362353345337324
16°F365365365365365365365365348

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
87% of years
20°F or colder
51% of years
16°F or colder
19% 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
1,990
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,034
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,250
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,546
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,949
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,494
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,182

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January535594
February37814143
March21647322
April67124510
May8320777
June0531981
July06731,138
August06681,133
September2442889
October61172579
November24332271
December4807114

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 1.1 km from White Settlement. 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 USW00013911 (Ft Worth Nas). Public domain.