Yoakum County climate

Yoakum County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Plains, 1.5 km from Yoakum County, elevation 3675 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Plains. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around November 1, a growing season of about 200 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first November 1
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 7

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°FMay 4Apr 30Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 26
28°FApr 18Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 22Mar 14Mar 9
24°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 23Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
20°FMar 19Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 6
16°FMar 6Feb 28Feb 22Feb 16Feb 10Feb 5Feb 1Jan 25Jan 12

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 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3
32°FOct 17Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
28°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21
24°FNov 2Nov 7Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1
20°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 16
16°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17Dec 22Dec 29Jan 6

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°F201194189185182178174169162
32°F220213208204200196192187181
28°F245238230225221216211206198
24°F269262256251246242236229221
20°F300290284277271266261254244
16°F339328320311303296288280272

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
99% 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
3,575
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,603
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,490
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,984
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,639
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,465
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,456

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January794011
February595033
March4352127
April21122283
May57161571
June1359808
July0431896
August1397862
September25193619
October18836335
November508181
December761013

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 1.5 km from Yoakum 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 USC00417074 (Plains). Public domain.