Hot Springs climate

Hot Springs Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hot Springs, 0.3 km from Hot Springs, elevation 1345 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hot Springs. 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 11 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 201 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 29, first November 7

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 10May 5May 1Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 13Apr 8
32°FApr 27Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 4Mar 31Mar 25
28°FApr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16Mar 8
24°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1Feb 21
20°FMar 24Mar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 15Feb 8Jan 30
16°FMar 10Mar 1Feb 23Feb 16Feb 9Feb 4Jan 31Jan 24Jan 11

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 8Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10
28°FOct 24Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 24
24°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 9
20°FNov 15Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Jan 1
16°FNov 27Dec 4Dec 11Dec 18Dec 26Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 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°F199192188184181177171166158
32°F225216210205201197192187181
28°F251241235230225220215210202
24°F281272264258252246240233225
20°F318304295289282276270262250
16°F347334328321314306300292280

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
96% 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
3,805
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,273
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,003
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,534
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,224
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,083
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,103

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January825020
February657127
March5122100
April25323256
May83104489
June7244687
July0350815
August0324789
September24185611
October21436310
November503389
December727032

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 0.3 km from Hot Springs. 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 USC00314260 (Hot Springs). Public domain.