Hayes climate

Hayes Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lake Arthur 7 Sw, 17.6 km from Hayes, elevation 11 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lake Arthur 7 Sw. 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 10 and the first fall freeze around December 11, a growing season of about 307 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 27, first November 26
Median at 32°F
last February 10, first December 11
Median at 28°F
last January 25, first January 1

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 22Mar 13Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 19Feb 11Feb 1
32°FMar 8Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 10Feb 3Jan 30Jan 23Jan 10
28°FFeb 24Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 25Jan 19Jan 13Jan 5Dec 25
24°FFeb 10Feb 2Jan 29Jan 21Jan 17Jan 11Jan 6Dec 31Dec 23
20°FFeb 6Jan 29Jan 23Jan 17Jan 15Jan 10Jan 7Jan 5Jan 1
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 7Nov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 19
32°FNov 19Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 15
28°FDec 1Dec 10Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 17Feb 1
24°FDec 16Dec 26Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 11Jan 16Jan 22Feb 2
20°FJan 1Jan 3Jan 6Jan 9Jan 12Jan 15Jan 21Jan 29Feb 5
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°F306294285278272266260253242
32°F343331322314307300293283273
28°F365365359349341333327317306
24°F365365365365365365361348334
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
98% of years
28°F or colder
80% of years
24°F or colder
38% of years
20°F or colder
11% of years
16°F or colder
1% 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
1,394
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,892
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,647
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,877
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,182
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,596
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,155

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January3989161
February26416208
March13859397
April39147559
May3337798
June0499949
July05631,028
August05611,026
September1430879
October29207644
November16948343
December35317191

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 17.6 km from Hayes. 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 USC00165065 (Lake Arthur 7 Sw). Public domain.