Hackberry climate

Hackberry Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hackberry 8 Ssw, 13.2 km from Hackberry, elevation 6 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hackberry 8 Ssw. 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 February 3 and the first fall freeze around December 24, a growing season of about 323 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 23, first December 5
Median at 32°F
last February 3, first December 24
Median at 28°F
last January 22, first January 3

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°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 23Feb 18Feb 11Feb 2Jan 26
32°FMar 9Mar 1Feb 21Feb 12Feb 3Jan 29Jan 23Jan 16Jan 6
28°FFeb 26Feb 10Feb 1Jan 29Jan 22Jan 17Jan 10Jan 4Dec 24
24°FFeb 9Feb 1Jan 26Jan 18Jan 11Jan 5Jan 1Dec 27Dec 17
20°F–––––––––
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°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 13Dec 22Jan 2
32°FNov 26Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 11Jan 22
28°FDec 10Dec 17Dec 25Dec 30Jan 3Jan 9Jan 16Jan 24Feb 1
24°FDec 13Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 18Jan 26Feb 3
20°F–––––––––
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°F325312304296288281273264252
32°F359347338332323313305295282
28°F365365365362355348340332315
24°F365365365365365365365358345
20°F365365365365365365365365365
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
93% of years
28°F or colder
62% of years
24°F or colder
27% of years
20°F or colder
5% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
1,342
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,028
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,829
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,050
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,340
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,746
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,300

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January3966147
February26612200
March14650380
April31149569
May2357820
June0513963
July05831,048
August05861,051
September0459909
October22237681
November14861375
December33216197

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 13.2 km from Hackberry. 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 USC00163979 (Hackberry 8 Ssw). Public domain.