Hooker climate

Hooker Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hooker, 0.8 km from Hooker, elevation 3001 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hooker. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 25, a growing season of about 192 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last April 5, first November 3

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 9May 4May 2Apr 30Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
32°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 5Apr 1
28°FApr 22Apr 17Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20
24°FApr 12Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 14Mar 8
20°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Feb 28
16°FMar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14

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 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 13Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
24°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24
20°FNov 2Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4
16°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 16

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°F190184180176173169165160153
32°F211204200196192188183178171
28°F232225219215211207203198191
24°F254245240235231226221215207
20°F272265259256251246241235227
16°F296286280275270265260254247

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
4,449
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,632
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,991
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,625
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,411
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,346
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,425

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January92805
February754012
March572279
April29721225
May89119498
June5335780
July1475939
August2423887
September35223639
October25334284
November595159
December91704

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 0.8 km from Hooker. 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 USC00344298 (Hooker). Public domain.