Hico climate

Hico Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hico, 0.3 km from Hico, elevation 1043 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hico. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 229 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 5, first October 30
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 11, first November 18

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 22Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 17
32°FApr 11Apr 5Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 19Mar 16Mar 11Mar 4
28°FMar 29Mar 23Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 8Mar 3Feb 27Feb 21
24°FMar 18Mar 12Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 17Feb 11Feb 2
20°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 23Feb 16Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 22Jan 10
16°FMar 1Feb 17Feb 10Feb 2Jan 27Jan 20Jan 12Jan 1Dec 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 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 14
32°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 19Nov 25
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 7
24°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20
20°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 13Dec 19Dec 25Jan 3Jan 14
16°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 16Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 13Jan 25Feb 9

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°F231223216211208202197191183
32°F254245239234229225220215207
28°F279270263258253248243236227
24°F306296288283277271265257248
20°F344333324316308300294285273
16°F365365361349342334326314303

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
77% 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
2,531
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,365
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,094
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,454
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,955
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,603
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,400

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January619154
February466385
March29923239
April10783432
May19238684
June0450900
July05601,025
August05591,024
September9321762
October98108480
November32718202
December586268

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 0.3 km from Hico. 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 USC00414137 (Hico). Public domain.