Cordes Lakes climate

Cordes Lakes Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Cordes, 5.7 km from Cordes Lakes, elevation 3771 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Cordes. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 17, a growing season of about 221 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 24, first November 4
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 17
Median at 28°F
last March 7, first November 28

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

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 19Oct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16Nov 21
32°FOct 28Nov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 3
28°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28Dec 2Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17
24°FNov 21Nov 27Dec 2Dec 7Dec 11Dec 15Dec 21Dec 28Jan 9
20°FNov 30Dec 7Dec 13Dec 17Dec 26Jan 1Jan 7Jan 25Feb 9
16°FDec 8Dec 13Dec 19Dec 28Jan 4Jan 9Jan 27Feb 7Feb 17

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°F218210204198193188183176167
32°F253241234227221215209203195
28°F299288278270263255249240225
24°F353339329320310303296286271
20°F365365365364355347339328313
16°F365365365365365365365365344

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
96% of years
20°F or colder
59% of years
16°F or colder
19% 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
2,817
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,757
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,116
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,438
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,943
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,673
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,624

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January581028
February484044
March3891126
April22413251
May70106502
June4320766
July0496961
August0464928
September5286730
October10268433
November3574148
December601026

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 5.7 km from Cordes Lakes. 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 USC00022109 (Cordes). Public domain.