Angel Fire climate

Angel Fire Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Angel Fire 1S, 0.2 km from Angel Fire, elevation 8500 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Angel Fire 1S. 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 June 18 and the first fall freeze around September 8, a growing season of about 80 days.

Median at 32°F
last June 18, first September 8
Median at 28°F
last June 1, first September 21

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°F–––––––––
32°FJul 1Jun 26Jun 23Jun 20Jun 18Jun 14Jun 11Jun 8Jun 4
28°FJun 17Jun 10Jun 6Jun 3Jun 1May 30May 27May 23May 18
24°FJun 2May 26May 22May 18May 15May 11May 8May 4Apr 30
20°FMay 14May 8May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 13
16°FMay 3Apr 28Apr 23Apr 20Apr 17Apr 13Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1

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°F–––––––––
32°FAug 20Aug 30Sep 2Sep 5Sep 8Sep 11Sep 13Sep 16Sep 21
28°FSep 6Sep 11Sep 15Sep 18Sep 21Sep 23Sep 25Sep 28Oct 1
24°FSep 17Sep 23Sep 26Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 8Oct 14
20°FSep 29Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 26
16°FOct 9Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5

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°F716358534844393428
32°F1019490858076716456
28°F1311241181141111071029791
24°F160153148144141136131125117
20°F186180175171167163159153147
16°F213205200195191186182177169

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
8,599
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
4
Growing degree days, base 40°F
2,546
Growing degree days, base 45°F
1,648
Growing degree days, base 50°F
930
Growing degree days, base 55°F
387
Growing degree days, base 60°F
76

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,29400
February1,10000
March97200
April75203
May529046
June2661192
July1512316
August2061261
September3770104
October70409
November99500
December1,25500

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 0.2 km from Angel Fire. 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 USC00290407 (Angel Fire 1S). Public domain.