Houma climate

Houma Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Houma, 10.6 km from Houma, elevation 8 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Houma. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around December 17, a growing season of about 312 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 25, first November 28
Median at 32°F
last February 5, first December 17
Median at 28°F
last January 26, first January 2

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 19Mar 12Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 29
32°FMar 7Feb 28Feb 21Feb 14Feb 5Jan 31Jan 27Jan 20Jan 6
28°FFeb 24Feb 10Feb 2Jan 31Jan 26Jan 21Jan 15Jan 8Dec 27
24°FFeb 4Jan 31Jan 28Jan 24Jan 18Jan 13Jan 7Jan 2Dec 26
20°FFeb 2Jan 29Jan 26Jan 22Jan 18Jan 14Jan 8Jan 5Dec 30
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 8Nov 15Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 11Dec 22
32°FNov 23Dec 1Dec 6Dec 11Dec 17Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 13
28°FDec 7Dec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 20Feb 1
24°FDec 20Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 25Feb 1
20°FDec 30Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 13Jan 18Jan 21Jan 26Feb 1
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°F311299290283276270264256245
32°F347335328319312305297288277
28°F365365360351343336331321308
24°F365365365365365365359347336
20°F365365365365365365365365359
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
97% of years
28°F or colder
75% of years
24°F or colder
39% of years
20°F or colder
14% of years
16°F or colder
2% 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
1,250
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,969
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,856
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,071
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,350
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,739
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,269

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January36312184
February23626234
March12379430
April40159569
May4352814
June0487937
July05491,014
August05561,021
September0441891
October30222658
November15664371
December30021228

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 10.6 km from Houma. 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 USC00164407 (Houma). Public domain.