Lake Hughes climate

Lake Hughes Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Fairmont, 3.4 km from Lake Hughes, elevation 3060 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Fairmont. 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 April 6 and the first fall freeze around November 29, a growing season of about 236 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first November 13
Median at 32°F
last April 6, first November 29
Median at 28°F
last February 25, first December 10

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°FJun 1May 23May 15May 6Apr 30Apr 25Apr 17Apr 10Mar 28
32°FMay 20May 6Apr 25Apr 14Apr 6Mar 27Mar 14Mar 5Feb 20
28°FMay 1Apr 5Mar 17Mar 4Feb 25Feb 14Feb 2Jan 22Jan 6
24°FMar 17Feb 22Feb 6Jan 29Jan 20Jan 8Jan 1Dec 27Dec 16
20°FFeb 8Jan 28Jan 23Jan 13Jan 6Jan 2Dec 29Dec 20Dec 13
16°F–––––––––

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 24Oct 31Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Dec 2
32°FNov 5Nov 13Nov 19Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 15
28°FNov 20Nov 28Dec 3Dec 7Dec 10Dec 15Dec 19Dec 27Jan 7
24°FNov 29Dec 9Dec 16Dec 23Dec 29Jan 2Jan 11Jan 27Feb 15
20°FDec 12Dec 18Dec 23Dec 30Jan 2Jan 8Jan 17Jan 26Feb 7
16°F–––––––––

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°F236221211203196188179170159
32°F289270257244236224214203187
28°F344330316306293278266250227
24°F365365365362353343333322300
20°F365365365365365365365365351
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
69% of years
20°F or colder
19% of years
16°F or colder
3% 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
2,872
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,805
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,112
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,447
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,970
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,708
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,663

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January560043
February461167
March3826154
April25926247
May130113454
June27288711
July2463927
August1481946
September17317750
October107101463
November3379171
December589036

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 3.4 km from Lake Hughes. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00042941 (Fairmont). Public domain.