Nucla climate

Nucla Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Uravan, 20.7 km from Nucla, elevation 5021 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Uravan. 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 26 and the first fall freeze around October 18, a growing season of about 174 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 7, first October 8
Median at 32°F
last April 26, first October 18
Median at 28°F
last April 12, first October 27

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

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°FSep 27Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 8Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20
32°FOct 6Oct 9Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 31
28°FOct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9
24°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 21
20°FNov 1Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 2
16°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 12

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°F169163159155152148145140134
32°F194187182178174170166162155
28°F220212206202198193188184177
24°F249241235228224218214208200
20°F279270264260255251245237226
16°F304297290285281276270263255

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
100% 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
5,053
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,223
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,061
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,786
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,674
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,717
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,906

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06000
February77801
March595031
April3872125
May14151381
June14241677
July0442907
August1358821
September45126532
October3244183
November675016
December1,03200

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 20.7 km from Nucla. 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 USC00058560 (Uravan). Public domain.