Winkler County climate

Winkler County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kermit, 4 km from Winkler County, elevation 2830 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kermit. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 8, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 26, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 9, first November 20

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 27Apr 19Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Mar 29Mar 22
32°FApr 15Apr 7Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 5
28°FApr 1Mar 24Mar 18Mar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 20
24°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 16Feb 11Feb 4
20°FMar 3Feb 25Feb 17Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 19Jan 7
16°FFeb 16Feb 9Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 14Jan 7Jan 1Dec 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 20Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 15
32°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 16Nov 20Nov 26
28°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4
24°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16
20°FNov 22Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Jan 5
16°FDec 3Dec 9Dec 16Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 16Feb 1

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°F228221215211207204199193186
32°F252245239235230224219214206
28°F276269263258253247242236226
24°F304294287281276271265259249
20°F343330322314307300293285273
16°F365365360352344338331322308

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
80% 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
2,578
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,260
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,951
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,308
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,803
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,451
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,273

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January643036
February450287
March27916242
April9571431
May21268712
June0484934
July0518983
August0500965
September7304747
October9493472
November3714152
December618042

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 4 km from Winkler 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 USC00414775 (Kermit). Public domain.