Hickory County climate

Hickory County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pomme De Terre Dam, 4 km from Hickory County, elevation 907 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pomme De Terre Dam. 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 28, a growing season of about 204 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 28
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 6

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°FMay 7May 1Apr 28Apr 25Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 9Apr 3
32°FApr 26Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23
28°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 2Mar 31Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 10
24°FApr 1Mar 28Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28
20°FMar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 17
16°FMar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 5

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 1Oct 7Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 26Oct 31
32°FOct 13Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 27
24°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
20°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17
16°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1

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°F202194188183179175170165157
32°F226218212208204198193187179
28°F251241236230226221217212203
24°F272264258252247242236230222
20°F294284277272266261256249242
16°F316304298292286281275268259

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
4,507
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,473
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,842
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,481
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,265
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,195
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,262

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,00305
February794017
March587480
April29223230
May97111482
June8290732
July1431896
August1390854
September46181586
October24040294
November563377
December877012

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 4 km from Hickory County. 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 USC00236777 (Pomme De Terre Dam). Public domain.