Frost Dates for 79504 — Baird, Texas

Half of springs at Putnam, TX see their last 32°F night by March 27; only one in ten is past it by March 7, and one in ten still has one after April 16. Planting tender crops after April 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 7 20%, and after April 16 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 51% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 7 in half of years, as early as October 25 one year in ten, and holds off past November 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 2, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 225 days in a typical year, shorter than at 81% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 249 days one year in ten and falls short of 201 one year in ten. On average 53 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 13 days longer, to about April 9, and return around October 30. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 81%.

July is the warmest month at Putnam, TX, averaging 96°F by day and 72°F at night; January is the coldest at 57°F and 32°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 37% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 6,055 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 69% of the 351 Texas stations. 40% of them (2,417) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,045. Precipitation totals 29.1 inches a year, most in May (3.9") and least in January (1.2"); May to September bring 53% of it.

The nearest other station, Abilene 6ESE, TX, 18 miles west of Baird and 181 feet higher, has a last frost 5 days later (April 1), a first frost 2 days earlier (November 5), a season 7 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Baird usually arrives around December 26, and the last of the season around February 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Putnam, TX, 9.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 77% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 42 days after the last snow.

ZIP 79504 is 10 miles from Putnam, TX, which stands at 1,621 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79504 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.