Hughes climate

Hughes Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tunica 2 N, 26.3 km from Hughes, elevation 206 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tunica 2 N. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 14 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 248 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 27, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 14, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 1, first November 29

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 12Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6
32°FApr 2Mar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 9Mar 5Feb 28Feb 23
28°FMar 19Mar 15Mar 8Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 17Feb 9
24°FMar 10Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21Feb 17Feb 11Feb 5Jan 31Jan 22
20°FMar 2Feb 21Feb 14Feb 6Feb 1Jan 28Jan 21Jan 14Jan 4
16°FFeb 19Feb 10Feb 2Jan 30Jan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 7Dec 30

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 21
32°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28Dec 4
28°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21
24°FNov 20Nov 29Dec 2Dec 8Dec 14Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 8
20°FDec 4Dec 15Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 9Jan 16Jan 26
16°FDec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 12Jan 17Jan 25Feb 4

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F247238232227223218214209202
32°F273264258252248243237231222
28°F300291284279274268262255246
24°F332321313306300294287279268
20°F365352342335330324315306299
16°F365365365364356348339329315

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
99% of years
20°F or colder
91% of years
16°F or colder
62% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
3,025
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,216
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,581
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,017
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,599
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,323
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,194

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January749033
February567256
March37116188
April13872394
May24242684
June0437886
July0530995
August0494959
September9318759
October12493441
November38710155
December656149

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 26.3 km from Hughes. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00228998 (Tunica 2 N). Public domain.