See link below for a map of the date of latest spring freeze for the state.

Here is a link that might be useful: Date of Latest Spring Freeze

oh my, I knew it was being colder this year than in the past couple years, but I didn't think it was going to go on that long. Geeesh....

Hello ezzirah011.

Please note that the data from which the maps were derived is from 1981 thru 2010. How this year will turn out is anyone's guess. But knowledge about the past can give insight into the future.

For anyone not used to the use of the terminology "Average Last Freeze Date", remember that once your area reaches its' statistical average last freeze date, you still have a 50% chance of having freezing temperatures after that date.

Of course I look at the averages, but I know my own micro-climate better than the averages do and I go more by our average soil temps (taken in our own soil), NWS forecast air temps and prior history here at our place when making decisions about when to plant. It didn't take me long to realize we are in a cold micro-climate compared to the part of our county where the mesonet station is located, and we often have freezing weather much later in the spring than it does (and also much earlier in the fall).

Remember that the data for each county is compiled from official records for weather recording stations. At your house, your temperatures may differ (sometimes considerably) from the temperatures at your county's station, as it does at my house. You may find your average temperatures still a bit warmer or a bit colder fairly consistently.

My average last frost date is March 27th but we often have about one frost a week up through May 3rd or 4th so I always have to be prepared to cover up plants on those nights when they occur.

Last year was unique for much of the state in that our last freezing temperature and last frost both were very early and we could plant earlier than usual. This year's weather is entirely different.

Remember, too, when you look at recorded low temperatures and the averages derived from them, that they are recorded at 5' above ground level. In the garden, you'll have plants down at ground level. Since cold air sinks, your plants at ground level may be exposed to colder air than the thermometer 5' above ground.

When in doubt at planting time, it is always better to wait a few more days until you feel the weather has stabilized. This year, more than most, we're on a roller coaster ride with temperatures going up and down a lot in recent weeks.

On a really practical basis, all I have to do is watch my pecan tree. About 80 to 90% of the time, once the pecan tree starts leafing out, we've had our last killing freeze. Mesquite trees here are reliable last freeze prognosticators in the same way.

Anyone in OK can find their county's specific last freeze date on the OCS Quick Climate Facts page for their county. If you want more detail, go to your county's multi-page and more detailed Climate Information Summary and it will show you more detailed last freeze and killing freeze data as well as a lot of other climate-related info. I've linked the OCS page below. Just click on your county and then choose between the shorter document or the more detailed one.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: OCS County Climate Summaries

Thanks okiedawn for the more involved explanation of the various issues involved when deciding when to plant, or when to wait a while longer. The more information everyone has the better their decisions.

Scott, You're welcome, and I agree we need all the info we can get our hands on to help us make the best decisions about when to plant. But, you know, this is Oklahoma and when it comes to weather, anything goes.....and that is one reason it can be so challenging to garden here. Sometimes it seems like the weather is watching us more than we're watching it and is determined to make us wait.

My first few years here, a gardening friend who lives up the road from us was my best source of 'when to plant' info. He routinely plants earlier than I do, so if I just wait and plant a week or two later than he does, my seeds sprout and my plants grow. Since he routinely planted too early back then I just waited until he planted his corn and beans and they sprouted, grew and froze. Then, when he was replanting his corn and beans, I'd plant mine for the first time. : ) That was the most useful info I had available to me back then, and it was usually more reliable than statistical data.

Sometimes I just throw caution to the wind and plant merely because I have decided to do it, and that's that. Of course, to do that you have to have a lot of luck on your side or a big pile of floating row cover.

Another clue is the 8-14 day temperature outlook, which I'll link below. There also is a 6-10 day, but I like the 8-14 day because it looks further out in the future beyond the standard 7-day forecast. When the 8-14 days outlook is forecasting cooler than average temperatures for that time frame, that makes me calm down and wait longer before planting. If it is predicting warmer than average temperatures, I tend to lose my mind and start planting right away.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: CPC 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook

15 degrees last night at our place!

It is interesting how we are gradually moving away from local newscasts for our source of weather forecasts, and are now getting some of the same information the tv meteorologists use directly from the web and making our decisions from that.

For the last few months I have relied primarily on a Colorado snow forecasting guru and a local meteorologist blog for my 5-10 day forecasts. Now I am starting to go directly to the forecasting models that are available online.

scottokla,

I think you are right. More and more I find myself gathering information for myself and making my decisions based upon what I have found. I like to pull in info from various sources and then see what my gut has to say about the whole matter. An informed decision with a touch of intuition.

On a related note, I have over the past few days been checking the 10 day forecasts for Colby, Kansas and Salina, Kansas and a few other places farther north. I know they have had snow recently. Until it melts and there are a series of warmer days, that snow is going to be a hindrance to our weather in Oklahoma getting warm and staying warm. If the snow is gone then the bare ground warms up and moderates any fronts moving down from the north. In other words, if there is still much snow up north our chances of having a spring freeze increases. This is nothing one can hang their hat on and base all decisions upon, but it is one more bit of information guiding the decision process.

Some of the models show snow in Texas in April. I am going to stop looking at the models if they are going to insist upon making me nervous about spring planting.

Of course, models can fluctuate a lot, but I do remember having snow here in southern OK in April and even in Texas in April when I lived there, which is one reason these models make me nervous. I have memories of having my New Guinea impatiens freeze in Texas during an after-Easter snowstorm.

I look at lots of weather blogs and weather-related websites and like following the weather, but try not to get too wound up over whatever they are showing more then 2 or 4 days in advance. No use worrying about it until it seems more likely to happen.

Wow that is really useful! Lije an over enthusiastic newbie I went through the last 10 years of mesonet data for our site (Norman) and wrote down the last freeze date thinking it would give me some insight.

These lower than average temps should continue through at least the first week of April, especially the central and Eastern parts of OK. Partly this may be due to the strongly negative AO (arctic oscillation).

Thanks for all the information!