Wickett climate

Wickett Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Monahans, 9 km from Wickett, elevation 2547 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Monahans. 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 April 3 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 216 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last April 3, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 15

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 30Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Mar 29
32°FApr 21Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 19Mar 11
28°FApr 9Apr 2Mar 27Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25
24°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 26Feb 22Feb 17Feb 10
20°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 9Feb 4Jan 30Jan 19
16°FMar 1Feb 17Feb 8Feb 1Jan 27Jan 18Jan 9Dec 31Dec 17

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 15Oct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10
32°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19
28°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
24°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7
20°FNov 17Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 12Dec 18Dec 26
16°FNov 26Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 29Jan 5Jan 22

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°F217210205200196192187182175
32°F240232226221216211206200192
28°F266259252247240235229224215
24°F293283276271266260255248238
20°F328315307300293286280272262
16°F365353344337330323312303290

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
91% 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
2,684
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,442
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,028
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,402
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,925
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,605
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,450

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January660025
February462070
March28713231
April10979427
May17282730
June0519969
July05771,042
August05361,001
September8332774
October9399478
November3846149
December665029

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 9 km from Wickett. 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 USC00415999 (Monahans). Public domain.