Pahrump climate

Pahrump Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pahrump 4 Nw, 8.8 km from Pahrump, elevation 2573 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pahrump 4 Nw. 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 29 and the first fall freeze around November 3, a growing season of about 218 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 14, first October 24
Median at 32°F
last March 29, first November 3
Median at 28°F
last March 6, first November 13

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 2Apr 28Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 9Apr 5Mar 31Mar 25
32°FApr 21Apr 12Apr 7Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23Mar 18Mar 12Mar 6
28°FApr 2Mar 22Mar 15Mar 10Mar 6Mar 1Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16
24°FMar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 21Feb 16Feb 12Feb 7Feb 2Jan 28
20°FFeb 24Feb 12Feb 5Feb 1Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 6Dec 28
16°FJan 31Jan 21Jan 13Jan 6Jan 2Dec 30Dec 24Dec 18Dec 9

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 9Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3Nov 7
32°FOct 18Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17
28°FOct 28Nov 2Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 26
24°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 9
20°FNov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 10Dec 16Dec 25
16°FNov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 10Dec 16Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 9

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°F217209202197191187182176168
32°F244236230224218214207201191
28°F272265259253248243237229219
24°F305295288283277273266260252
20°F343333326319312305299290279
16°F365365360353348341335329319

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
98% of years
16°F or colder
76% 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
3,078
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,129
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,280
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,681
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,276
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,057
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,008

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January68508
February510031
March3582150
April17828307
May50171586
June6397842
July06081,072
August05521,017
September9315756
October12557402
November439199
December71906

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 8.8 km from Pahrump. 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 USC00265890 (Pahrump 4 Nw). Public domain.