Aguila climate

Aguila Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Aguila, 1.2 km from Aguila, elevation 2165 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Aguila. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around November 19, a growing season of about 243 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 7, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 17, first November 19
Median at 28°F
last February 19, first December 1

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 27Apr 21Apr 15Apr 11Apr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 17
32°FApr 12Apr 5Mar 31Mar 23Mar 17Mar 11Mar 5Feb 27Feb 18
28°FMar 24Mar 11Mar 2Feb 25Feb 19Feb 12Feb 4Jan 26Jan 9
24°FFeb 27Feb 17Feb 7Jan 31Jan 23Jan 14Jan 6Dec 28Dec 17
20°FFeb 10Feb 2Jan 27Jan 17Jan 12Jan 7Jan 3Dec 28Dec 15
16°F–––––––––

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 25Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 9Nov 11Nov 14Nov 17Nov 22
32°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 19Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1
28°FNov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19
24°FNov 28Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 21Dec 26Jan 1Jan 8Jan 25
20°FDec 13Dec 23Jan 1Jan 4Jan 7Jan 13Jan 18Jan 27Feb 6
16°F–––––––––

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°F240231224218213208202196188
32°F276264257250243237230222214
28°F325312302293286278270261244
24°F365360350342334328320309294
20°F365365365365365365365358338
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
84% of years
20°F or colder
28% of years
16°F or colder
3% 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
2,215
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,521
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,447
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,695
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,084
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,686
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,512

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January499053
February395081
March2736216
April12145377
May27205643
June2447896
July06541,119
August06201,085
September1417867
October66122521
November2956188
December538039

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 1.2 km from Aguila. 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 USC00020060 (Aguila). Public domain.