Hugo climate

Hugo Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hugo, 2.8 km from Hugo, elevation 520 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hugo. 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 March 15 and the first fall freeze around November 15, a growing season of about 244 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 31, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last March 15, first November 15
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 30

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°FApr 18Apr 11Apr 5Apr 2Mar 31Mar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 10
32°FApr 4Mar 29Mar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25
28°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 16Feb 5
24°FMar 12Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18Feb 11Feb 3Jan 28Jan 19
20°FMar 2Feb 22Feb 15Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 22Jan 16Jan 3
16°FFeb 20Feb 12Feb 6Feb 1Jan 29Jan 24Jan 17Jan 8Dec 30

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 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
32°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3
28°FNov 6Nov 13Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20
24°FNov 22Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 11
20°FDec 5Dec 15Dec 22Dec 30Jan 2Jan 6Jan 12Jan 18Feb 1
16°FDec 16Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 11Jan 17Jan 26Feb 1Feb 8

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°F244237230225219213208201193
32°F272263256250244238232225216
28°F299289281275269263258250239
24°F336326316309303296289279267
20°F365356346339332324316307297
16°F365365365365363352341331317

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
83% of years
16°F or colder
53% 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
2,688
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,230
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,823
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,202
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,725
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,402
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,236

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January677139
February498368
March31419224
April11557395
May15215665
June0414864
July05351,000
August0532996
September7338781
October9999471
November34916174
December613150

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 2.8 km from Hugo. 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 USC00344384 (Hugo). Public domain.