Hale Center climate

Hale Center Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Plainview Wtr Productn, 17.4 km from Hale Center, elevation 3450 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Plainview Wtr Productn. 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 200 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 21
Median at 32°F
last April 11, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last April 1, 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 5Apr 30Apr 27Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9
32°FApr 26Apr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 8Apr 6Apr 2Mar 27
28°FApr 19Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 30Mar 25Mar 18Mar 12
24°FApr 6Mar 31Mar 26Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 28
20°FMar 22Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 11
16°FMar 11Mar 4Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 21

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 6Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
32°FOct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21
24°FOct 31Nov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 2
20°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15
16°FNov 16Nov 25Dec 1Dec 5Dec 11Dec 17Dec 22Dec 28Jan 5

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°F201194189184181178173169164
32°F221213208204200197192188180
28°F244236229224220216210206198
24°F267259253248244239234227220
20°F292284277272267261255249240
16°F328317308302296289282274263

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
3,866
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,548
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,247
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,788
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,486
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,350
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,372

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January832010
February655028
March4813110
April24921255
May76138530
June3332780
July0434899
August1391855
September29188610
October21038320
November531177
December800013

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 17.4 km from Hale Center. 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 USC00417081 (Plainview Wtr Productn). Public domain.