Frost Dates for 73772 — Watonga, Oklahoma

Half of springs at Watonga, OK see their last 32°F night by April 14; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 24 20%, and after April 29 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% of the 114 Oklahoma stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 27 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 19, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 194 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 114 Oklahoma stations; it reaches 214 days one year in ten and falls short of 172 one year in ten. On average 94 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 9 days longer, to about April 23, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and February 26.

July is the warmest month at Watonga, OK, averaging 95°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 85% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,811 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 85% of the 114 Oklahoma stations. 37% of them (1,771) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 995. Precipitation totals 31.8 inches a year, most in May (4.0") and least in January (1.1"); May to September bring 56% of it.

The nearest other station, Hinton 7W Mesonet, OK, 27 miles south of Watonga, has a last frost 9 days earlier (April 5), a first frost 5 days later (November 1), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Watonga usually arrives around December 13, and the last of the season around February 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Watonga, OK, 1.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 66 days after the last snow.

ZIP 73772 is 2 miles from Watonga, OK, which stands at 1,530 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 73772 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.