Hidalgo County climate

Hidalgo County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Animas 3ESE, 5.7 km from Hidalgo County, elevation 4501 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Animas 3ESE. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 218 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 18, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last April 2, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 18

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 3Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 1
32°FApr 21Apr 14Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 17Mar 10
28°FApr 8Mar 31Mar 23Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18
24°FMar 16Mar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 20
20°FFeb 23Feb 13Feb 5Jan 31Jan 26Jan 19Jan 11Jan 3Dec 25
16°FFeb 7Jan 28Jan 20Jan 12Jan 7Jan 2Dec 29Dec 22Dec 12

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 14Oct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 7Nov 12
32°FOct 23Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21
28°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 2
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 20
20°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 5Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 25Dec 29Jan 8
16°FNov 30Dec 9Dec 16Dec 22Dec 26Dec 30Jan 4Jan 12Jan 22

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°F214206200196192188184177169
32°F243234228223218212206200192
28°F280269261256249241234227216
24°F318308300291283278271263253
20°F358347339332324317308301288
16°F365365365365362353346337325

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
94% of years
16°F or colder
54% 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
2,793
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,794
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,204
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,557
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,091
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,819
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,727

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January648015
February475046
March3363166
April14631339
May27173611
June0410859
July0467932
August0402866
September3255702
October10854416
November3932122
December657018

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 5.7 km from Hidalgo County. 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 USC00290417 (Animas 3ESE). Public domain.