Hondo climate

Hondo Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hondo, 1.3 km from Hondo, elevation 879 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hondo. 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 February 28 and the first fall freeze around November 27, a growing season of about 274 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 11, first November 16
Median at 32°F
last February 28, first November 27
Median at 28°F
last February 12, first December 9

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°FMar 31Mar 24Mar 19Mar 14Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 22
32°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 13Feb 3
28°FMar 7Mar 1Feb 24Feb 18Feb 12Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 16
24°FFeb 26Feb 14Feb 7Jan 31Jan 26Jan 20Jan 13Jan 3Dec 23
20°FFeb 10Feb 1Jan 24Jan 19Jan 10Jan 6Jan 1Dec 28Dec 17
16°FFeb 1Jan 21Jan 12Jan 8Jan 5Jan 2Dec 31Dec 25Dec 19

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°FNov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3
32°FNov 8Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18
28°FNov 17Nov 25Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 16Dec 24Jan 1Jan 11
24°FNov 30Dec 8Dec 14Dec 24Dec 31Jan 4Jan 9Jan 17Jan 31
20°FDec 12Dec 22Dec 28Jan 1Jan 4Jan 8Jan 16Jan 22Feb 2
16°FDec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 1Jan 4Jan 6Jan 12Jan 21Feb 1

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°F275268261255249245240233225
32°F304294286280274269263257247
28°F340328320312305298291281269
24°F365364355345338332324312298
20°F365365365365365365360350335
16°F365365365365365365365365364

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
99% of years
24°F or colder
80% of years
20°F or colder
39% of years
16°F or colder
11% 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
1,402
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
3,102
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,850
Growing degree days, base 45°F
9,077
Growing degree days, base 50°F
7,377
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,800
Growing degree days, base 60°F
4,369

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January4068144
February25726226
March12482432
April33170587
May4356817
June0520970
July05941,059
August06141,079
September1437887
October32232666
November17353346
December37211165

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 1.3 km from Hondo. 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 USC00414254 (Hondo). Public domain.