Camp Verde climate

Camp Verde Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Montezuma Castle Nm, 5.4 km from Camp Verde, elevation 3180 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Montezuma Castle Nm. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 30, a growing season of about 196 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 30
Median at 28°F
last March 21, first November 10

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 16May 11May 6May 3May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18
32°FMay 2Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Mar 28
28°FApr 15Apr 8Apr 2Mar 28Mar 21Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2
24°FMar 17Mar 9Mar 6Mar 2Feb 28Feb 25Feb 21Feb 14Feb 6
20°FMar 1Feb 24Feb 19Feb 14Feb 10Feb 4Jan 30Jan 22Jan 9
16°FFeb 20Feb 10Feb 3Jan 28Jan 18Jan 9Jan 4Dec 31Dec 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 4Oct 9Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 29Nov 2
32°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 24Oct 28Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
28°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23
24°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5
20°FNov 16Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 23
16°FNov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Dec 29Jan 4Jan 18

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°F189182177173169165161156147
32°F221211205201196192187181173
28°F255247241236230225219213204
24°F289280274269264259254249241
20°F328318309302295289283275266
16°F365356347339332327319308296

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
90% 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
3,053
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,826
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,986
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,373
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,958
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,739
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,697

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January67605
February501030
March3591144
April18116294
May48124542
June3340788
July05391,004
August0485950
September5275720
October12344391
November439188
December71804

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 5.4 km from Camp Verde. 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 USC00025635 (Montezuma Castle Nm). Public domain.