DFW Freezing Weather Information

What kind of weather will we have this winter? The Old Farmer’s Almanac says the following about the upcoming Texas/Oklahoma Region for winter of 2021/2022: “Winter will be colder than normal, especially in the south, with the coldest periods in mid to late November, mid and late December, and early and late January. Precipitation will be below normal in the north and above normal in the south. Snowfall will be near normal, with the best chances for snow in early and late January, mainly in the north.”

I would like to comment on their prediction from last winter (2020/2021), which was: “Temperamental! Wild swings from mild to tranquil to cold & wintry.” That sounds about right, as we all remember mid- February of 2021: some of the coldest weather that we have ever experienced (-1), freezing weather for many consecutive hours, and unreliable electricity—which is a bad combination for swimming pool equipment.
With that being said, we will not actually know what kind of winter we will have until it is over. Following is some weather information to help get you in the right frame of mind:

Number of days that the temperature reaches freezing

• Winter 2020/2021: 20
  low temperature— -1 degree (February 16th)
• Winter 2019/2020: 18
  low temperature—22 degrees
• Winter 2018/2019: 28
  low temperature—21 degrees
• Winter 2017/2018: 25
  low temperature—13 degrees
• Winter 2016/2017: 11
  low temperature—14 degrees
• Winter 2015/2016: 17
  low temperature—27 degrees
• Winter 2014/2015: 40
  low temperature—16 degrees
• Winter 2013/2014: 55
  low temperature—15 degrees
• Winter 2012/2013: 28
  low temperature—22 degrees

First & last freezes

• Average first freeze—November 22nd
• Average last freeze—March 13th
• Earliest first freeze—October 22, 1898
• Latest first freeze—January 4, 1972
• Earliest last freeze—February 5, 2000
• Latest last freeze—April 13, 1957 & 1997

Number of freezes

• Average freezes in a season—33
• Average freezes by month
  • October—.1
  • November—2.3
  • December—9.7
  • January—12.1
  • February—6.8
  • March—2.0
  • April—.1
• Most freezes in a season—62 (1977-78)
• Most freezes by month
  • October—3 (1925)
  • November—12 (1959)
  • December—21 (1963, 1989)
  • January—27 (1940, 1978)
  • February—21 (1905, 1978)
  • March—10 (1965)
  • April—2 (1920, 1957)
• Fewest number of freezes—11 (2016-17)

What can really be difficult on pool equipment is consecutive number of hours below freezing—the record by a long shot is 295 consecutive hours between December 18-30, 1983. We would have surpassed this record last winter had it not been for a few hours above freezing, which was sandwiched by extremely low temperatures.

If you have pool problems or questions as it relates to freezing weather, feel free to give our Service Department a call at (940) 384-7665.

Sources: www.weather.gov (National Oceanic & Atmosphere Administration) & wunderground.com