Hopedale climate

Hopedale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cadiz, 10.4 km from Hopedale, elevation 1260 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cadiz. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 186 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 8, first November 4

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 18May 12May 8May 5May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18
32°FMay 5Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 21Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Apr 6
28°FApr 21Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 27
24°FApr 14Apr 8Apr 4Apr 2Apr 1Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 16
20°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 4
16°FMar 28Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28Feb 20

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 2Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26
32°FOct 10Oct 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 7
28°FOct 22Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26Dec 1
20°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 16
16°FNov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 23Dec 30

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°F183177173169165161157152145
32°F205198194190186182179173166
28°F229222218214210207204199194
24°F254245239234230226222218211
20°F278269262257252247243237231
16°F298289283277272267262255247

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
5,880
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
754
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,325
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,134
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,080
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,163
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,385

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,17804
February98704
March822031
April4529129
May19652334
June38151564
July4235696
August9210666
September9285446
October38311163
November701137
December1,02106

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 10.4 km from Hopedale. 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 USC00331152 (Cadiz). Public domain.