Frost Dates for 79316 — Brownfield, Texas

Half of springs at Brownfield #2, TX see their last 32°F night by April 3; only one in ten is past it by March 16, and one in ten still has one after April 20. Planting tender crops after April 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 20 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 4 in half of years, as early as October 22 one year in ten, and holds off past November 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 8, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 215 days in a typical year, shorter than at 89% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 239 days one year in ten and falls short of 193 one year in ten. On average 89 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 14, and return around October 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 93% of winters, usually between December 23 and February 4.

July is the warmest month at Brownfield #2, TX, averaging 94°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 55°F and 27°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 61% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,071 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 91% of the 351 Texas stations. 40% of them (2,037) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 947. Precipitation totals 18.1 inches a year, most in June (2.7") and least in February (0.6"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The nearest other station, Levelland, TX, 28 miles north of Brownfield and 214 feet higher, has a last frost 6 days later (April 9), a first frost 3 days earlier (November 1), a season 10 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Brownfield usually arrives around December 10, and the last of the season around February 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Brownfield #2, TX, 3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 86% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 58 days after the last snow.

ZIP 79316 is 3 miles from Brownfield #2, TX, which stands at 3,300 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79316 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.