Frost Dates for 79311 — Abernathy, Texas

Half of springs at Abernathy, TX see their last 32°F night by April 9; only one in ten is past it by March 24, and one in ten still has one after April 25. Planting tender crops after April 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 25 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 91% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 1 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 204 days in a typical year, shorter than at 93% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 224 days one year in ten and falls short of 183 one year in ten. On average 106 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 11 days longer, to about April 20, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 14 and February 16.

July is the warmest month at Abernathy, TX, averaging 91°F by day and 67°F at night; January is the coldest at 55°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 77% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,598 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 95% of the 351 Texas stations. 39% of them (1,775) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 891. Precipitation totals 19.3 inches a year, most in May (2.9") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The nearest other station, Lubbock, TX, 15 miles south of Abernathy, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 4), a first frost 1 day later (November 2), a season 6 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Abernathy usually arrives around November 30, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Abernathy, TX, 2.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 82% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 43 days after the last snow.

ZIP 79311 is 3 miles from Abernathy, TX, which stands at 3,368 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79311 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.