Yoakum climate

Yoakum Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Yoakum, 1.6 km from Yoakum, elevation 295 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Yoakum. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 30, a growing season of about 276 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 14, first November 16
Median at 32°F
last March 2, first November 30
Median at 28°F
last February 11, first December 17

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 7Mar 31Mar 25Mar 19Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28Feb 22
32°FMar 23Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Jan 31
28°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 26Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 29Jan 20Jan 6
24°FMar 2Feb 18Feb 8Feb 1Jan 25Jan 16Jan 7Dec 31Dec 18
20°FFeb 17Feb 6Feb 1Jan 25Jan 13Jan 7Jan 3Dec 31Dec 15
16°F–––––––––

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 31Nov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 7
32°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 26
28°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17Dec 25Jan 1Jan 8Jan 20
24°FDec 7Dec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 9Jan 18Jan 30Feb 11
20°FDec 14Dec 22Dec 31Jan 3Jan 7Jan 16Jan 26Feb 3Feb 14
16°F–––––––––

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°F278266259253247241234228217
32°F310300291283276270262253243
28°F355338331321313305297286273
24°F365365365363354345335324306
20°F365365365365365365365364348
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
96% of years
24°F or colder
66% of years
20°F or colder
25% of years
16°F or colder
2% 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
1,446
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,963
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,669
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,905
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,219
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,647
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,223

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January41012151
February27821208
March15169397
April42146554
May4345806
June0485934
July05641,029
August05871,052
September1430879
October36219649
November17066366
December35420194

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 1.6 km from Yoakum. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00419952 (Yoakum). Public domain.