Hudson climate

Hudson Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lenoir, 8.2 km from Hudson, elevation 1155 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lenoir. 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 31, a growing season of about 207 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 21, first October 22
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 31
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 9

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 25Apr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 11Apr 4
32°FApr 28Apr 20Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 21
28°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 25Mar 21Mar 18Mar 14Mar 7
24°FMar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 26Feb 15
20°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 29
16°FMar 11Mar 3Feb 23Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 26Jan 17Jan 7

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 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3
32°FOct 18Oct 22Oct 26Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 20Nov 27
24°FNov 8Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 15
20°FNov 18Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 28Jan 5
16°FDec 5Dec 12Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 4Jan 9Jan 15Jan 26

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°F204196192187183179174169161
32°F227220215211207202197192184
28°F254246241235230225221216208
24°F288277270264259254248242233
20°F322310302295290283275268258
16°F358343334328321312304297286

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
95% 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
3,851
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,289
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,905
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,447
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,160
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,044
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,090

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January831011
February664017
March523288
April24522252
May80100486
June7262705
July0375840
August1332797
September29169590
October22125285
November502174
December749018

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 8.2 km from Hudson. 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 USC00314938 (Lenoir). Public domain.